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THE ART OF 
LAWN TENNIS 

WILLIAM T. TILDEN 

KfSO 







PLATE I 



WILLIAM T. TILDE M - 

Champion of the world, in action. 



THE ART OF 
LAWN TENNIS 



BY 

WILLIAM TrTILDEN %» 

CHAMPION OF THE WORLD 



WITH THIBTY ILLUSTRATIONS 




NEW Xlir YORK 
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 






COPYRIGHT, 1921, 
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



APR -I 1921 _ 

©CLA611413 



« 



To 
E. D. K 

AND 

M. W. J. 

MY "BUDDIES" 



W. T. T. n 



INTRODUCTION 

Tennis is at once an art and a science. The game 
as played by such men as Norman E. Brookes, the 
late Anthony Wilding, William M. Johnston, and 
R. N. Williams is art. Yet like all true art, it has 
its basis in scientific methods that must be learned 
and learned thoroughly for a foundation before the 
artistic structure of a great tennis game can be con- 
structed. 

Every player who helps to attain a high degree 
of efficiency should have a clearly defined method 
of development and adhere to it. He should be 
certain that it is based on sound principles and, once 
assured of that, follow it, even though his progress 
seems slow and discouraging. 

I began tennis wrong. My strokes were wrong 
and my viewpoint clouded. I had no early training 
such as many of our American boys have at the pres- 
ent time. No one told me the importance of the 
fundamentals of the game, such as keeping the eye 
on the ball or correct body position and footwork. 
I was given a racquet and allowed to hit the ball. 
Naturally, like all beginners, I acquired many very 
serious faults. I worried along with moderate suc- 
cess until I had been graduated from school, beating 



viii INTRODUCTION 

some fairly good players, but losing some matches 
to men below my class. The year following my 
graduation the new Captain of my Alma Mater's 
team asked me if I would aid him in developing 
the squad for next year. Well, 'Tools rush in 
where angels fear to tread," so I said Yes. 

At that point my tennis education began. 

The youngsters comprising our tennis squad all 
knew me well and felt at perfect liberty to ask me 
as many questions as they could think up. I was 
besieged with requests to explain why Jones missed 
a forehand drive down the side-line, or Smith 
couldn't serve well, or Brown failed to hit the ball 
at all. Frankly, I did not know, but I answered 
them something at the moment and said to myself 
it was time I learned some fundamentals of tennis. 
So I began to study the reasons why certain shots 
are missed and others made. Why certain balls are 
hit so much faster though with less effort than 
others, and why some players are great while most 
are only good. I am still studying, but my results 
to date have resulted in a definite system to be 
learned, and it is this which I hope to explain to you 
in my book. 

Tennis has a language all its own. The idioms 
of the game should be learned, as all books on the 
game are written in tennis parlance. The technical 
terms and their counterpart in slang need to be 
understood to thoroughly grasp the idea in any 
written tennis account. 

I do not believe in using a great deal of space 



INTRODUCTION ix 

carefully defining each blade of grass on a court, 
or each rule of the game. It gets nowhere. I do 
advocate teaching the terms of the game. 

i. The Court. 

The Base-lfne=The back line. 

The Service-line=The back line of the service court, 
extending from side-line to side-line at a point 21 
feet from the net. 

The Alleys^The space on each side of the court 
between the side service-line and the outside side- 
line of a doubles court. They are used only 
when playing doubles and are not marked on a 
single court. 

The Net=The barrier that stretches across the 
court in the exact centre. It is 3 feet high 
at the centre and 3 feet 6 inches high at the 
posts which stand 3 feet outside the side- 
lines. 

2. Strokes (Two General Classes). 

A. Ground strokes=All shots hit from the base- 
lines off the bounce of the ball. 

B. Volleys=Shots hit while the ball is in flight 
through the air, previous to its bound. 

The Serviee=:The method of putting the ball in 
play. 

The Drive=A ground stroke hit with a flat racquet 
face and carrying top spin. 

The Chop=An undercut ground stroke is the gen- 
eral definition of a chop. The slice and chop 



INTRODUCTION 

are so closely related that, except in stroke analysis, 
they may be called chop. 

Stop Volleys Blocking a ball short in its flight. 

Half Volley or Tray Shot==A pick up. 

The Smash= Hitting on the full any overhead ball. 

The Lob= Hitting the ball in a high parabola. 

3. Twist on the Ball. 

Top Spin=The ball spins towards the ground and 
in the direction of its flight. 

Chop, Cut, or Drag=The ball spins upwards from 
the ground and against the line of flight. This is 
slightly deviated in the slice, but all these terms 
are used to designate the under-struck, back-spin- 
ning ball. 

Reverse Twist=A ball that carries a rotary spin 
that curves one way and bounces the opposite. 

Break=A spin which causes the ball to bounce at an 
angle to its line of flight. 

4. Let=A service that touches the net in its flight yet 

falls in court, or any illegal or irregular point 
that does not count. 

5. FAULT=An illegal service. 

6. OuT=Any shot hit outside legal boundaries of the 

court. 

7. GooD=Any shot that strikes in a legal manner pre- 

scribed by rules of the game. 



INTRODUCTION xi 

8. Footfault^ An illegal service delivery due to in- 

correct position of the server's feet. 

9. Servers Player delivering service. 

10. Receiver or Strxker= Player returning service. 

W. T. T. 

Wimbledon, July 1920 



CONTENTS 

FAGH 

Introduction vii 



PART I: TENNIS TECHNIQUE— STROKES 
AND FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GAME 

CHAPTER 

I For Novices only 19 

II The Drive 33 

III Service 38 

IV The Volley and Overhead Smash ... 45 
V Chop, Half Volley, and Court Position 54 

PART II: THE GENERAL LAWS OF 
TOURNAMENT TENNIS 

VI Tennis Psychology 63 

VII Match Play 77 

VIII Physical Fitness 88 

IX Singles and Doubles 97 



PART III: MODERN TENNIS AND 




ITS FUTURE 




X The Growth of the Modern Game . 


107 


XI The Probable Future of the Game . 


128 



xiv CONTENTS 

PART IV: SOME SIDELIGHTS ON 
FAMOUS PLAYERS 

CHAPTER FAGB 

Introductory . .137 

XII America 141 

XIII British Isles ........ 150 

XIV France and Japan .157 

XV The Colonies . . . . . . . .165 

XVI Famous Women Players . . . . .171 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATE 

I William T- Tilden, Champion of the 

World, in Action .... Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

II Forehand Grip. Front View .... 24 
Forehand Grip. Back View . . . .24 

III The Completed Swing of the Forehand 

Drive 40 

IV Backhand Grip. Front View . . . .41 
Backhand Grip. Back View . . . . 41 . 

V Completion of the Backhand Drive . . 48 

VI The American Twist Service. The Start 

of the Swing 64 

VII The American Twist Service. The End 

of the Swing 65 

VIII The Forehand Volley 80 

IX The Backhand Volley . . . . .81 

X The Overhead Smash 97 

XI The Backhand Half Volley . . . .112 

XII The Backhand Running Volley . . .129 

XIII C S. Garland and R. N. Williams, Amer- 
ica. W. M. Johnston, America. A. G. 
Gobert, France. W. A. Laurentz, France 144 
xv 



xvi ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PLATE PAGE 

XIV A. R. F. Kingscote, British Isles. J. G. 
Parke, British Isles. Gerald Patterson, 
Australia. T. M. Mavrogordato, British 
Isles *. 145 

XV Louis A. Raymond, South Africa. B. I. C. 
Norton, South Africa. Z. F. Shimidzu, 
Japan. N. Mishu, Roumania . . .160 

XVI Mlle. Lenglen, France. Miss Elizabeth 
Ryan, America. Mrs. Franklin L. 
Mallory (Molla Bjurstedt), America. 
Mrs. Larcombe and Mrs. Lambert 
Chambers, British Isles . . . . .161 



PART I: TENNIS TECHNIQUE— STROKES 
AND FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GAME 



THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

PART I: TENNIS TECHNIQUE— STROKES 
AND FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GAME 

CHAPTER I 
FOR NOVICES ONLY 

1 TRUST this initial effort of mine in the world 
of letters will find a place among both novices 
and experts in the tennis world. I am striving to 
interest the student of the game by a somewhat pro- 
longed discussion of match play, which I trust will 
shed a new light on the game. 

May I turn to the novice at my opening and 
speak of certain matters which are second nature 
to the skilled player? 

The best tennis equipment is not too good for the 
beginner who seeks really to succeed. It is a saving 
in the end, as good quality material so far outlasts 
poor. 

Always dress in tennis clothes when engaging 
in tennis. White is the established colour. Soft 
shirt, white flannel trousers, heavy white socks, and 

19 



20 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

rubber-soled shoes form the accepted dress for 
tennis. Do not appear on the courts in dark clothes, 
as they are apt to be heavy and hinder your speed 
of movement, and also they are a violation of the 
unwritten ethics of the game. 

The question of choosing a racquet is a much more 
serious matter. I do not advocate forcing a certain 
racquet upon any player. All the standard makes 
are excellent. It is in weight, balance, and size of 
handle that the real value of a racquet frame de- 
pends, while good stringing is essential to obtain 
the best results. 

The average player should use a racquet that 
weighs between 13 y 2 to 14^ ounces inclusive. I 
think that the best results may be obtained by a 
balance that is almost even or slightly heavy on 
the head. Decide your handle from the individual 
choice. Pick the one that fits comfortably in the 
hand. Do not use too small a handle or too light 
a racquet, as it is apt to turn in the hand. I 
recommend a handle of 5% to sH inches at the 
grip. Do not use a racquet you do not like merely 
because your best friend advises it. It may suit him 
perfectly, but would not do for you at all. Do not 
start children playing tennis with an under-sized 
racquet. It weakens the wrist and does not aid 
the child in learning strokes. Start a child, boy 
or girl, with a full-sized racquet of at least 13 
ounces. 

After you have acquired your racquet, make a 
firm resolve to use good tennis balls, as a regular 



FOR NOVICES ONLY 21 

bounce is a great aid to advancement, while a 
"dead" ball is no practice at all. 

If you really desire to succeed at the game and 
advance rapidly, I strongly urge you to see all the 
good tennis you can. Study the play of the leading 
players and strive to copy their strokes. Read all 
the tennis instruction books you can find. They 
are a great assistance. I shall be accused of "press- 
agitating" my own book by this statement, but such 
was my belief long before I ever thought of writing 
a book of my own. 

More tennis can be learned off the court, in the 
study of theory, and in watching the best players 
in action, than can ever be learned in actual play. 
I do not mean miss opportunities to play. Far from 
it. Play whenever possible, but strive when playing 
to put in practice the theories you have read or the 
strokes you have watched. 

Never be discouraged at slow progress. The 
trick over some stroke you have worked over for 
weeks unsuccessfully will suddenly come to you 
when least expected. Tennis players are the pro- 
duct of hard work. Very few are born geniuses at 
the game. 

Tennis is a game that pays you dividends all your 
life. A tennis racquet is a letter of introduction in 
any town. The brotherhood of the game is uni- 
versal, for none but a good sportsman can succeed 
in the game for any lengthy period. Tennis pro- 
vides relaxation, excitement, exercise, and pure 
enjoyment to the man who is tied hard and fast 



22 THE ART OF LifWN TENNIS 

to his business until late afternoon. Age is not a 
drawback. Vincent Richards held the National 
Doubles Championship of America at fifteen, while 
William A. Larned won the singles at past forty. 
Men of sixty are seen daily on the clubs' courts 
of England and America enjoying their game as 
keenly as any boy. It is to this game, in great 
measure, that they owe the physical fitness which 
enables them to play at their advanced age. 

The tennis players of the world wrote a magni- 
ficent page in the history of the World War. No 
branch of sport sent more men to the colours from 
every country in the world than tennis, and these 
men returned with glory or paid the supreme sacri- 
fice on the field of honour. 

I transgressed from my opening to show you that 
tennis is a game worth playing and playing well. It 
deserves your best, and only by learning it correctly 
can you give that best. 

If in my book I help you on your way to fame, 
I feel amply repaid for all the time spent in ana- 
lysing the strokes and tactics I set before you in 
these pages. 

I am going to commence my explanation by talk- 
ing to the players whose games are not yet formed. 
At least once every season I go back to first prin- 
ciples to pull myself out of some rut into which 
carelessness dropped me. 

From a long and, many times, sad experience 
over a period of some ten years of tournament 



FOR NOVICES ONLY 23 

tennis, I believe the following order of develop- 
ment produces the quickest and most lasting results: 

i. Concentration on the game. 

2. Keep the eye on the ball. 

3. Foot-work and weight-control. 

4. Strokes. 

5. Court position. 

6. Court generalship or match play. 

7. Tennis psychology. 

Tennis is a game of intimate personal relation. 
You constantly find yourself meeting some definite 
idea of your opponent. The personal equation is 
the basis of tennis success. A great player not 
only knows himself, in both strength and weakness, 
but he must study his opponent at all times. In 
order to be able to do this a player must not be 
hampered by a glaring weakness in the fundamentals 
of his own game, or he will be so occupied trying 
to hide it that he will have no time to worry his 
opponent. The fundamental weakness of Gerald 
Patterson's backhand stroke is so apparent that any 
player within his class dwarfs Patterson's style by 
continually pounding at it. The Patterson overhead 
and service are first class, yet both are rendered im- 
potent, once a man has solved the method of return- 
ing low to the backhand, for Patterson seldom suc- 
ceeds in taking the offensive again in that point. 

I am trying to make clear the importance of such 
first principles as I will now explain. 



24 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

CONCENTRATION 

Tennis is played primarily with the mind. The 
most perfect racquet technique in the world will not 
suffice if the directing mind is wandering. There 
are many causes of a wandering mind in a tennis 
match. The chief one is lack of interest in the 
game. No one should play tennis with an idea of 
real success unless he cares sufficiently about the 
game to be willing to do the drudgery necessary in 
learning the game correctly. Give it up at once 
unless you are willing to work. Conditions of play 
or the noises in the gallery often confuse and be- 
wilder experienced match-players playing under 
new surroundings. Complete concentration on the 
matter in hand is the only cure for a wandering 
mind, and the sooner the lesson is learned the more 
rapid the improvement of the player. An amusing 
example, to all but the player affected, occurred 
at the finals of the Deleware State Singles Cham- 
pionship at Wilmington. I was playing Joseph J. 
Armstrong. The Championship Court borders the 
No. i hole of the famous golf course. The score 
stood at one set all and 3-4 and 30-40, Armstrong 
serving. He served a fault and started a second de- 
livery. Just as he commenced his swing, a loud and 
very lusty "Fore !" rang out from the links. Arm- 
strong unconsciously looked away and served his 
delivery to the backstop and the game to me. The 
umpire refused to "let" call and the incident closed. 




FOREHAND GRIP. FRONT VIEW 

Notice the straight line of the arm, hand and racquet, the flat racquet 
face, the natural finger position on the handle. The racquet is in posi- 
tion to hit a forehand drive. 




FOREHAND GRIP. BACK VD3W 

The line is straight, the head of the racquet slightly in advance of the 
hand. This pose is at the moment of contact between ball and racquet. 

PLATE II 



FOR NOVICES ONLY 25 

Yet a wandering mind in that case meant the loss of 
a set. 

The surest way to hold a match in mind is to 
play for every set, every game in the set, every 
point in the game and, finally, every shot in the 
point. A set is merely a conglomeration of made 
and missed shots, and the man who does not miss is 
the ultimate victor. 

Please do not think I am advocating "pat-ball." 
I am not. I believe in playing for your shot every 
time you have an opening. I do not believe in 
trying to win the point every time you hit the 
ball. Never allow your concentration on any game 
to become so great that you do not at all times know 
the score and play to it. I mean both point score 
and game score. In my explanation of match play 
in a later chapter I am going into a detailed account 
of playing to the score. It is as vital in tennis as 
it is in bridge, and all bridge players know that the 
score is the determining factor in your mode of 
bidding. Let me urge again concentration. Prac- 
tise seriously. Do not fool on the court, as it is 
the worst enemy to progress. Carelessness or lazi- 
ness only results in retrogression, never progress. 

Let me turn now to the first principle of all ball 
games, whether tennis, golf, cricket, baseball, polo, 
or football. 

Keep your eye on the ball ! 

Just a few statistics to show you how vital it is 
that the eye must be kept on the ball until the 
moment of striking it. 



26 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

About 85 per cent of the points in tennis are 
errors, and the remainder earned points. As the 
standard of play rises the percentage of errors drops 
until, in the average high-class tournament match, 
60 per cent are errors and 40 per cent aces. Any 
average superior to this is super-tennis. 

Thus the importance of getting the ball in play 
cannot be too greatly emphasized. Every time 
you put the ball back to your opponent you give 
him another chance to miss. 

There are several causes for missing strokes. 
First, and by far the largest class, is not looking 
at the ball up to the moment of striking it. Fully 
80 per cent of all errors are caused by taking the 
eye from the ball in the last one-fifth of a second 
of its flight. The remaining 20 per cent of errors 
are about 15 per cent bad footwork, and the other 
5 per cent poor racquet work and bad bounces. 

The eye is a small camera. All of us enjoy 
dabbling in amateur photography, and every amateur 
must take "action" pictures with his first camera. 
It is a natural desire to attain to the hardest before 
understanding how to reach it. The result is one of 
two things: either a blurred moving object and a 
clear background, or a clear moving object and a 
blurred background. Both suggest speed, but only 
one Is a good picture of the object one attempted to 
photograph. In the first case the camera eye was 
focused on the background and not on the object, 
while in the second, which produced the result de- 
sired, the camera eye was firmly focused en the 



FOR NOVICES ONLY 27 

moving object itself. Just so with the human eye. 
It will give both effects, but never a clear background 
and moving object at the same time, once that 
object reaches a point 10 feet from the eye. The 
perspective is wrong, and the eye cannot adjust it- 
self to the distance range speedily enough. 

Now the tennis ball is your moving object while 
the court, gallery, net, and your opponent constitute 
your background. You desire to hit the ball cleanly, 
therefore do not look at the other factors concerned, 
but concentrate solely on focusing the eye firmly 
on the ball, and watching it until the moment of 
impact with your racquet face. 

"How do I know where my opponent is, or how 
much court I have to hit in?" ask countless be- 
ginners. 

Remember this : that a tennis court is always the 
same size, with the net the same height and in the 
same relation to you at all times, so there is no 
need to look at it every moment or so to see if 
it has moved. Only an earthquake can change its 
position. As to your opponent, it makes little dif- 
ference about his position, because it is determined 
by the shot you are striving to return. Where he 
will be I will strive to explain in my chapter on 
court position ; but his whereabouts are known with- 
out looking at him. You are not trying to hit him. 
You strive to miss him. Therefore, since you must 
watch what you strive to hit and not follow what you 
only wish to miss, keep your eye on the ball, and let 
your opponent take care of himself. 



28 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Science has proved that given a tennis ball passing 

from point A to point B with the receiving player at 

B, that if the player at B keeps his eye on the ball 

throughout its full flight his chance of making a good 

A i 2 3 4 B 

return at B is five times as great as if he took his 
eye off the ball at a point 4, or | of a second of its 
flight. Likewise it is ten times as great at B as it is 
if the eye is removed from the ball at 3, or f of a 
second of its flight. Why increase your chances of 
error by five times or ten times when it is un- 
necessary? 

The average player follows the ball to 4, and then 
he takes a last look at his opponent to see where he 
is, and by so doing increases his chance of error five 
times. He judges the flight of the ball some 10 feet 
away, and never really sees it again until he has hit 
it (if he does). A slight deflection caused by the 
wind or a small misjudgment of curve will certainly 
mean error. Remembering the 85 'per cent errors in 
tennis, I again ask you if it is worth while to take 
the risk? 

There are many other reasons why keeping the 
eye on the ball is a great aid to the player. It tends 
to hold his attention so that outside occurrences 
will not distract. Movements in the gallery are not 
seen, and stray dogs, that seem to particularly enjoy 
sleeping in the middle of a tennis court during a hard 
match, are not seen on their way to their sleeping 
quarters. Having learned the knack of watching 



FOR NOVICES ONLY 29 

the ball at all times, I felt that nothing would worry 
me, until three years ago at the American Cham- 
pionships, when I was playing T. R. Pell. A press- 
camera man eluded the watchful eye of the officials, 
and unobtrusively seated himself close to our side- 
line to acquire some action pictures. Pell angled 
sharply by to my backhand, and I ran at my hardest 
for the shot, eyes fixed solely on the ball. I hauled 
off to hit it a mighty drive, which would have prob- 
ably gone over the backstop, when suddenly I heard 
a camera click just under me, and the next moment 
camera, pressman, and tennis player were rolling in 
a heap all over the court. The pressman got his 
action picture and a sore foot where I walked on 
him, and all I got was a sore arm and a ruffled 
temper. That's why I don't like cameras right under 
my nose when I play matches, but for all that I still 
advocate keeping your eye on the ball. 



GRIP, FOOTWORK, AND STROKES 

Footwork is weight control. It is correct body 
position for strokes, and out of it all strokes should 
grow. In explaining the various forms of stroke and 
footwork I am writing as a right-hand player. Left- 
handers should simply reverse the feet. 

Racquet grip is a very essential part of stroke, 
because a faulty grip will ruin the finest serving. 
There is the so-called Western or Californian grip 
as typified by Maurice E. M'Loughlin, Willis E. 
Davis, and, to a slightly modified degree, W. M. 



30 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Johnston, the American champion. It is a natural 
grip for a top forehand drive. It is inherently weak 
for the backhand, as the only natural shot is a chop 
stroke. 

The English grip, with the low wrist on all ground 
strokes, has proved very successful in the past. Yet 
the broken line of the arm and hand does not com- 
mend itself to me, as any broken line is weak under 
stress. 

The Eastern American grip, which I advocate, is 
the English grip without the low wrist and broken 
line. To acquire the forehand grip, hold the racquet 
with the edge of the frame towards the ground and 
the face perpendicular, the handle towards the 
body, and "shake hands' 1 with it, just as if you were 
greeting a friend. The handle settled comfortably 
and naturally into the hand, the line of the arm, 
hand, and racquet are one. The swing brings the 
racquet head on a line with the arm, and the whole 
racquet is merely an extension of it. 

The backhand grip is a quarter circle turn of 
hand on the handle, bringing the hand on top of 
the handle and the knuckles directly up. The shot 
travels across the wrist. 

This is the best basis for a grip. I do not advo- 
cate Jearning this grip exactly, but model your natu- 
ral grip as closely as possible on these lines without 
sacrificing your own comfort or individuality. 

Having once settled the racquet in the hand, the 
next question is the position of the body and the 
order of developing strokes. 



FOR NOVICES ONLY 31 

In explaining footwork I am, in future, going to 
refer in all forehand shots to the right foot as R or 
"back" foot, and to the left as L or "front." For 
the backhand the L foot is "back" and R is "front." 

All tennis strokes should be made with the body 
at right angles to the net, with the shoulders lined up 
parallel to the line of flight of the ball. The weight 
should always travel forward. It should pass from 
the back foot to the front foot at the moment of 
striking the ball. Never allow the weight to be 
going away from the stroke. It is weight that de- 
termines the "pace" of a stroke; swing that de- 
cides the "speed." 

Let me explain the definitions of "speed" and 
"pace." "Speed" is the actual rate with which a 
ball travels through the air. "Pace" is the velocity 
with which it comes off the ground. Pace is weight. 
It is the "sting" the ball carries when it comes off 
the ground, giving the inexperienced or unsuspect- 
ing player a shock of force which the stroke in no 
way showed. 

Notable examples of "pace" are such men as W. 
A. Larned, A. W. Gore, J. C. Parke, and among 
the younger players, R. N. Williams, Major A. R. 
F. Kingscote, W. M. Johnston, and, on his forehand 
stroke, Charles S. Garland. 

M. E. M'Loughlin, Willis E. Davis, Harold 
Throckmorton and several others are famous 
"speed" exponents. 

A great many players have both "speed" and 
"pace." Some shots may carry both. 



m THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

The order of learning strokes should be : 

i . The Drive. Fore- and backhand. This is the 
foundation of all tennis, for you cannot build up a 
net attack unless you have the ground stroke to open 
the way. Nor can you meet a net attack success- 
fully unless you can drive, as that is the only success- 
ful passing shot. 

2. The Service. 

3. The Volley and Overhead Smash. 

4. The Chop or Half Volley and other incidental 
and ornamental strokes. 



CHAPTER II 

THE DRIVE 

THE forehand drive is the opening of every 
offensive in tennis, and, as such, should be 
most carefully studied. There are certain rules of 
footwork that apply to all shots. To reach a ball 
that is a short distance away, advance the foot that 
is away from the shot and thus swing into position 
to hit. If a ball is too close to the body, retreat the 
foot closest to the shot and drop the weight back 
on it, thus, again, being in position for the stroke. 
When hurried, and it is not possible to change the 
foot position, throw the weight on the foot closest 
to the ball. 

The receiver should always await the service fac- 
ing the net, but once the serve is started on the 
way to court, the receiver should at once attain the 
position to receive it with the body at right angles 
to the net. 

The forehand drive is made up of one continuous 
swing of the racquet that, for the purpose of analy- 
sis, may be divided into three parts: 

i. The portion of the swing behind the body, 
which determines the speed of the stroke. 

2. That portion immediately in front of the body 

33 



34 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

which determines the direction and, in conjunction 
with weight shift from one foot to the other, the 
pace of the shot. 

3. The portion beyond the body, comparable to 
the golfer's "follow through," determines spin, top 
or slice, imparted to the ball. 

All drives should be topped. The slice shot is a 
totally different stroke. 

To drive straight down the side-line, construct 
in theory a parallelogram with two sides made up 
of the side-line and your shoulders, and the two 
ends, the lines of your feet, which should, if ex- 
tended, form the right angles with the side-lines. 
Meet the ball at a point about 4 to 4^ feet from the 
body immediately in front of the belt buckle, and 
shift the weight from the back to the front foot 
at the moment of striking the ball. The swing of 
the racquet should be flat and straight through. The 
racquet head should be on a line with the hand, or, 
if anything, slightly in advance; the whole arm and 
the racquet should turn slightly over the ball as it 
leaves the racquet face and the stroke continue to the 
limit of the swing, thus imparting top spin to the 
ball. 

The hitting plane for all ground strokes should 
be between the knees and shoulders. The most 
favourable plane is on a line with the waist. 

In driving across the court from the right (or 
No. 1) court, advance the L or front foot slightly 
towards the side-line and shift the weight a fraction 



THE DRIVE 35 

of a second sooner. As the weight shifts, pivot 
slightly on the L foot and drive flat, diagonally, 
across the court. Do not "pull" your cross-court 
drive, unless with the express purpose of passing 
the net way and using that method to disguise your 
shot. 

Never step away from the ball in driving cross 
court. Always throw your weight in the shot. 

The forehand drive from the No. 2 (or left) 
court is identically the same for the straight shot 
down your opponent's forehand. For the cross 
drive to his backhand, you must conceive of a diag- 
onal line from your backhand corner to his, and thus 
make your stroke with the footwork as if this imagi- 
nary line were the side-line. In other words, line up 
your body along your shot and make your regular 
drive. Do not try to "spoon" the ball over with a 
delayed wrist motion, as it tends to slide the ball 
off your racquet. 

All drives should be made with a stiff, locked 
wrist. There is no wrist movement in a true drive. 
Top spin is imparted by the arm, not the wrist. 

The backhand drive follows closely the principles 
of the forehand, except that the weight shifts a 
moment sooner, and the R or front foot should 
always be advanced a trifle closer to the side-line 
than the L so as to bring the body clear of the swing. 
The ball should be met in front of the right leg, in- 
stead of the belt buckle, as the great tendency in 
backhand shots is to slice them out of the side-line, 
and this will pull the ball cross court, obviating this 



36 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

error. The racquet hand must be slightly in advance 
of the hand to aid in bringing the ball in the court. 
Do not strive for too much top spin on your back- 
hand. 

I strongly urge that no one should ever favour 
one department of his game, in defence of a weak- 
ness. Develop both forehand and backhand, and 
do not "run around" your backhand, particularly 
in return of service. To do so merely opens your 
court. If you should do so, strive to ace your re- 
turns, because a weak effort would only result in a 
kill by your opponent. 

Do not develop one favourite shot and play noth- 
ing but that. If you have a fair cross-court drive, 
do not use it in practice, but strive to develop an 
equally fine straight shot. 

Remember that the fast shot is the straight shot. 
The cross drive must be slow, for it has not the 
room owing to the increased angle and height of the 
net. Pass down the line with your drive, but open 
the court with your cross-court shot. 

Drives should have depth. The average drive 
should hit behind the service-line. A fine drive 
should hit within 3 feet of the base-line. A 
cross-court drive should be shorter than a straight 
drive, so as to increase the possible angle. Do not 
always play one length drive, but learn to vary your 
distance according to your man. You should drive 
deep against a base-liner, but short against a net 
player, striving to drop them at his feet as he 
comes in. 



«■ 



THE DRIVE 37 

Never allow your opponent to play a shot he likes 
if you can possibly force him to one he dislikes. 
Again I urge that you play your drive: 

i. With the body sideways to the net. 

2. The swing flat, with long follow through. 

3. The weight shifting just as the ball is hit. 

Do not strive for terrific speed at first. The most 
essential thing about a drive is to put the ball in 
play. I once heard William A. Lamed remark, 
when asked the most important thing in tennis, 
"Put the ball over the net into the other man's 
court." Accuracy first, and then put on your speed, 
for if your shot is correct you can always learn to 
hit hard. 



CHAPTER III 
SERVICE 

SERVICE is the opening gun of tennis. It is 
putting the ball in play. The old idea was 
that service should never be more than merely the 
beginning of a rally. With the rise of American 
tennis and the advent of Dwight Davis and Hol- 
combe Ward, service took on a new significance. 
These two men originated what is now known as 
the American Twist delivery. 

From a mere formality, service became a point 
winner. Slowly it gained in importance, until 
Maurice E. M'Loughlin, the wonderful "California 
Comet,' , burst across the tennis sky with the first 
of those terrific cannon-ball deliveries that revolu- 
tionized the game, and caused the old-school players 
to send out hurry calls for a very footfault rule or 
some way of stopping the threatened destruction 
of all ground strokes. M'Loughlin made service 
a great factor in the game. It remained for 
R. N. Williams to supply the antidote that 
has again put service in the normal position of 
mere importance, not omnipotence. Williams 
stood in on the delivery and took it on the rising 
bound. 

' 38 



SERVICE 39 

Service must be speedy. Yet speed is not the 
be-all and end-all. Service must be accurate, reli- 
able, and varied. It must be used with discretion 
and served with brains. I believe perfect service 
is about 40 per cent placement, 40 per cent speed, 
and 20 per cent twist. 

Any tall player has an advantage over a short 
one, in service. Given a man about 6 feet and 
allow him the 3 feet added by his reach, it has 
been proved by tests that should he deliver a service, 
perfectly fiat, with no variation caused by twist 
or wind, that just cleared the net at its lowest 
point (3 feet in the centre), there is only a margin 
of 8 inches of the service court in which the ball 
can possibly fall; the remainder is below the net 
angle. Thus it is easy to see how important it is 
to use some form of twist to bring the ball into 
court. Not only must it go into court, but it must 
be sufficiently speedy that the receiver does not have 
an opportunity of an easy kill. It must also be 
placed so as to allow the server an advantage for 
his next return, admitting the receiver puts the ball 
in play. 

Just as the first law of receiving is to put the 
ball in play, so of service it is to cause the receiver 
to fall into error. Do not strive unduly for clean 
aces, but use your service to upset the ground 
strokes of your opponent. 

There are several style services in vogue in all 
countries. The American twist has become one 
of the most popular forms of delivery and as such 



40 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

deserves special treatment. The usual forms of 
service are (i) the slice service, (2) the American 
twist, (3) the reverse delivery, (4) the "cannon 
ball" or flat serve. 

The slice service is the easiest and most natural 
form for all beginners, and proves so effective that 
many great players use it. It is the service of 
William M. Johnston, A. R. F. Kingscote, Norman 
E. Brookes, and many others. 

Service should be hit from as high a point as 
the server can comfortably reach. To stretch un- 
necessarily is both wearing on the server and un- 
productive of results. 

The slice service should be hit from a point above 
the right shoulder and as high as possible. The 
server should stand at about a forty-five degree 
angle to the base-line, with both feet firmly planted 
on the ground. Drop the weight back on the right 
foot and swing the racquet freely and easily behind 
the back. Toss the ball high enough into the air 
to ensure it passing through the desired hitting 
plane, and then start a slow shift of the weight 
forward, at the same time increasing the power 
of the swing forward as the racquet commences 
its upward flight to the ball. Just as the ball 
meets the racquet face the weight should be thrown 
forward and the full power of the swing smashed 
into the service. Let the ball strike the racquet 
insid? the face of the strings, with the racquet 
travelling directly towards the court. The. angle 
of the racquet face will impart the twist necessary 




PLATE III 



THE COMPLETED SWING OF THE FOREHAND DRIVE 

Notice the body position, at right angles to the net, the weight on the 
front or left foot, having passed from the right foot with the swing, just 
at the moment the ball is struck. The racquet is carried to the- limit of 
the swing and falls into the left hand at the height of the shoulder. The 
racquet face has passed over the ball. The reader is looking through 
the strings. The stroke was made with the far side of the racquet from 
the camera. The eye is following the ball in its flight. The whole 
movement is forward. 




BACKHAND GRIP. FRONT VIEW 

Note the hand on top of the racquet handle, yet retaining the straight 
line of arm, hand and racquet as in the forehand. The change from the 
forehand grip is one quarter circle of the handle. The knuckles are up 
and directly towards the opponent. The head of the racquet is advanced 
slightly towards the ball. 




BACKHAND GRIP. BACK VIEW 

Notice the line of arm and racquet is straight and the hand on top of 
the handle. The thumb in my stroke is around the handle, but may be 
placed up the handle if desired. Personally, I do not use it, and do not 
advocate it, as it tends to detract from the freedom of the grip. 

PLATE IV 



SERVICE 41 

to bring the ball in court. The wrist should be 
somewhat flexible in service. If necessary lift the 
right foot and swing the whole body forward with 
the arm. Twist slightly to the right, using the left 
foot as a pivot. The general line of the racquet 
swing is from right to left and always forward. 

At this point and before I take up the other 
branches of serving, let me put in a warning against 
f ootf aulting. I can only say that a footfault is 
crossing or touching the line with either foot before 
the ball is delivered, or it is a jump or step. I am 
not going into a technical discussion of footfaults. 
It is unnecessary, and by placing your feet firmly 
before the service there is no need to footfault. 

It is just as unfair to deliberately footfault as to 
miscall a ball, and it is wholly unnecessary. The 
average footfault is due to carelessness, over- 
anxiety, or ignorance of the rule. All players are 
offenders at times, but it can quickly be broken up. 

Following this outburst of warning let me return 
to the American twist service. The stance for 
this is the same as for the slice, but the ball is 
thrown slightly to the left of the head while the 
racquet passes up and over the call, travelling from 
left to right and slightly forward. The result is a 
curve to the left and the break of the bound to the 
right. This service is not fast, but gives an ex- 
cellent chance to follow to the net, since it travels 
high and slowly and its bound is deep. The 
American twist service should be hit with the 
muscles of the side. The slice is a shoulder swing. 



48 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

The reverse twist is of an absolutely distinct 
type. The stance is facing the net with both toes 
fronting the line. The racquet is gripped as a 
club. The ball is thrown in front of the body and 
not high. The swing is a sharp wrist twist from 
right to left, the ball carried for some distance on 
the face of the racquet. The curve is from left to 
right while the bound is high and breaks sharply 
to the left. This delivery is slow, ineffective and 
very uncertain. There is little opportunity to 
follow it to the net. 

The "cannon-ball" service is nothing but a slice 
as regards swing and stance, but it is hit with a fiat 
racquet face, thus imparting no spin to the ball. 
It is a case of speed alone. This service is a point 
winner when it goes in; but its average must neces- 
sarily be poor since its margin of error is so small. 
It is only useful to a tall man. 

Varied pace and varied speed is the keynote to 
a good service. I spent hours in serving alone, 
striving to disguise the twist and pace of the ball. 
I would take a box of a dozen balls out on the 
court and serve the whole dozen to No. i court with 
one style of delivery. Then, crossing, I would serve 
them back with another type of service. Next, I 
would try the left court from both sides. My next 
move would be to pick out a certain section of the 
service court, and serve for that until I could put 
the ball where I wanted it. Finally, I would strive 
to put it there with speed. 

All the time spent in this practice has stood me In 



SERVICE 43 

good stead, for to-day it is my service that pulls me 
out of many a deep hole, and causes many a player 
to wish he was delivering the ball. William M. 
Johnston, the American Champion, has a remark- 
able service for so short a man. He times his 
stroke perfectly, and hits it at the top of his reach, 
so that he gets the full benefit of every inch of his 
stature and every pound of his weight. He uses 
the slice delivery in the majority of matches. 

Do not try freak services. They are useless 
against high-class players. Sharp breaking under- 
hand cuts can be easily angled off for points by a 
man who knows anything of the angles and effects 
of twist. These deliveries are affectation if used 
more than once or twice in a long match. A sudden 
shift may surprise your opponent; but to continue 
to serve these freaks is to destroy their use. 

Mishu, the Rumanian star, has many very 
peculiar deliveries; but, when playing against high- 
class tennis, he has brains enough to use a straight 
service. The freak services delight and yet annoy 
a gallery, for once the novelty has worn off, nothing 
but the conceit remains. 

The object of service is to obtain the maximum 
return with the minimum effort. This statement 
holds true for all tennis strokes, but in none so 
strongly as in service. 

The average player hits his first service so hard, 
and with so little regard for direction, that about 
nine out of ten first deliveries are faults. Thus, one 



44 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

half your chances are thrown away, and the chance 
of double faulting increased proportionately. 

There is a well-known tennis saying to the effect 
that one fault is a mistake, but two faults are a 
crime — that sums up the idea of service adequately. 
A player should always strive to put his first de- 
livery in court. In the first place it is apt to catch 
your opponent napping, as he half expects a fault. 
Secondly, it conserves your energy by removing the 
need of a second delivery, which, in a long five-set 
match, is an item of such importance that it may 
mean victory or defeat. 

I urge all players to put their service into court 
with just as much speed as they can be sure of, 
but to serve both deliveries at about the same speed. 
Do not slog the first ball and pat the second, but hit 
both with average pace. 

Try for service aces whenever reasonable, but 
never do so at the risk of double faulting. The 
first ball is the ball to ace. The second should 
never be risked. Your aces must at least equal 
your double faults, or your service is a handicap 
and not an advantage. 

The importance of service in doubles is more 
pronounced than in singles as regards holding it; 
but the need for individual brilliancy is not so great, 
as you have a partner already at the net to kill 
off any weak returns. 

Service is an attack, and a successful attack should 
never break down. 



CHAPTER IV 
THE VOLLEY AND OVERHEAD SMASH 

THE net attack is the heavy artillery of tennis. 
It is supposed to crush all defence. As such 
it must be regarded as a point-winning stroke at 
all times, no matter whether the shot is volley or 
smash. 

Once at the net hit from the point at the first 
opportunity given to get the racquet squarely on 
the ball. All the laws of footwork explained for 
the drive are theoretically the same in volleying. 
In practice you seldom have time to change your 
feet to a set position, so you obviate trouble by 
throwing the weight on the foot nearest to the ball 
and pushing it in the shot. 

Volleys are of two classes : ( i ) the low volley, 
made from below the waist; and (2) the high vol- 
ley, from the waist to the head. In contradistinc- 
tion to the hitting plane classification are the two 
styles known as (1) the deep volley and (2) the 
stop volley. 

All low volleys are blocked. High volleys may 
be either blocked or hit. Volleys should never be 
stroked.- There is no follow through on a low 
volley and very little on a high one. 

45 



46 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

You will hear much talk of "chop" volleys. A 
chop stroke is one where the racquet travels from 
above the line of flight of the ball, down and through 
it, and the angle made behind the racquet is greater 
than 45 per cent, and many approach 90 per cent. 
Therefore I say that no volleys should be chopped, 
for the tendency is to pop the ball up in the air off 
any chop. Slice volleys if you want to, or hit them 
flat, for both these shots are made at a very small 
angle to the flight-line of the ball, the racquet face 
travelling almost along its plane. 

In all volleys, high or low, the wrist should be 
locked and absolutely stiff. It should always be 
below the racquet head, thus bracing the racquet 
against the impact of the ball. Allow the force of 
the incoming shot, plus your own weight, to return 
the ball, and do not strive to "wrist" it over. The 
tilted racquet face will give any required angle to 
the return by glancing the ball off the strings, so no 
wrist turn is needed. 

Low volleys can never be hit hard, and owing to 
the height of the net should usually be sharply 
angled, to allow distance for the rise. Any ball met 
at a higher plane than the top of the net may be 
hit hard. The stroke should be crisp, snappy, and 
decisive, but it should stop as it meets the ball. 
The follow through should be very small. Most 
low volleys should be soft and short. Most high 
volleys require speed and length. 

The "stop" volley is nothing more than a shot 
blocked short. There is no force used. The rac- 



THE VOLLEY AND OVERHEAD SMASH 47 

quet simply meets the oncoming ball and stops it. 
The ball rebounds and falls of its own weight. 
There is little bounce to such a shot, and that may- 
be reduced by allowing the racquet to slide slightly 
under the ball at the moment of impact, thus im- 
parting back spin to the ball. 

Volleying is a science based on the old geometric 
axiom that a straight line is the shortest distance 
between two points. I mean that a volleyer must 
always cover the straight passing shot since it is the 
shortest shot with which to pass him, and he must 
volley straight to his opening and not waste time 
trying freakish curving volleys that give the base- 
liner time to recover. It is Johnston's great straight 
volley that makes him such a dangerous net man. 
He is always "punching" his volley straight and 
hard to the opening in his opponent's court. 

A net player must have ground strokes in order 
to attain the net position. Do not think that a 
service and volley will suffice against first-class 
tennis. 

I am not a believer in the "centre" theory. 
Briefly expressed the centre theory is to hit down 
the middle of the court and follow to the net, since 
the other player has the smallest angle to pass you. 
That is true, but remember that he has an equal 
angle on either side and, given good ground strokes, 
an equal chance to pass with only your guess or 
intention to tell you which side he will choose. 

I advise hitting to the side-line with good length 
and following up to the net, coming in just to the 



48 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

centre side of the straight returns down the line. 
Thus the natural shot is covered and your oppon- 
ent's court is opened for an angle volley 'cross. 
Should your opponent try the cross drive, his 
chances of beating you clean and keeping the ball 
in court are much less than his chances of error. 

Strive to kill your volleys at once, but should 
your shot not win, follow the ball 'cross and again 
cover the straight shot. Always force the man 
striving to pass you to play the hardest possible 
shot. 

Attack with your volleys. Never defend the ball 
when at the net. The only defensive volley is one 
at your feet as you come in. It is a mid-court shot. 
Volleys should win with placement more than speed, 
although speed may be used on a high volley. 

Closely related to the volley, yet in no way a 
volley stroke, is the overhead smash. It is the 
Big Bertha of tennis. It is the long range terror 
that should always score. The rules of footwork, 
position, and direction that govern the volley will 
suffice for the overhead. The swing alone is dif- 
ferent. The swing should be closely allied to the 
slice service, the racquet and arm swinging freely 
from the shoulder, the wrist flexible and the racquet 
imparting a slight twist to the ball to hold it in 
court. The overhead is mainly a point winner 
through speed, since its bounce is so high that a 
slow placement often allows time for a recovery. 

The overhead is about 60 per cent speed, and 
40 per cent combined place and twist. Any over- 




PLATE V 



COMPLETION OF THE BACKHAND DRIVE 

Notice the feet are firmly set, with the weight on the right foot, to 
which it was shifted from the left with the swing. The racquet has 
struck and passed over the ball, topping it. The body is at right angles 
to the net, the left arm extended to aid in perfect balance. The whole 
movement is forward, while the eye is on the ball in its flight. The 
stroke in the picture was off a high bounding ball, which accounts for 
the racquet's position being above the wrist in order to bring down the 
ball. The perfect backhand drive is off the wrist, and the racquet passes 
along that hitting plane. 



THE VOLLEY AND OVERHEAD SMASH 49 

head shot taken on or within the service-line should 
be killed. Any overhead behind the service-line, 
and back to the base-line, should be defended and 
put back deep to allow you another advance to the 
net. 

The average overhead shot that is missed is 
netted. Therefore hit deep. It is a peculiar fact 
that over 75 per cent of all errors are nets with 
only 25 per cent outs. Let this be a constant re- 
minder to you of the fact that all ground strokes 
should have a clear margin of safety of some 8 
inches to a foot above the net, except when attempt- 
ing to pass a very active volleyer. In the latter case 
the shot must be low, and the attendant risk is com- 
pensated by the increased chances of winning the 
point with a pass. 

Do not leap in the air unnecessarily to hit over- 
head balls. Keep at least one foot, and when pos- 
sible both feet, on the ground in smashing, as it 
aids in regulating the weight, and gives better 
balance. Hit flat and decisively to the point if 
desired. 

Most missed overhead shots are due to the eye 
leaving the ball ; but a second class of errors are due 
to lack of confidence that gives a cramped, half- 
hearted swing. Follow through your overhead shot 
to the limit of your swing. 

The overhead is essentially a doubles shot, be- 
cause in singles the chances of passing the net man 
are greater than lobbing over his head, while in 



50 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

doubles two men cover the net so easily that the best 
way to open the court is to lob one man back. 

In smashing, the longest distance is the safest 
shot since it allows a greater margin of error. 
Therefore smash 'cross court when pressed, but pull 
your short lobs either side as determined by the man 
you are playing. 

Never drop a lob you can hit overhead, as it 
forces you back and gives the attacking position to 
your opponent. Never smash with a reverse twist, 
always hit with a straight racquet face and direct 
to the opening. 

Closely connected to the overhead since it is the 
usual defence to any hard smash, is the lob. 

A lob is a high toss of the ball landing between 
the service-line and the base-line. An excellent lob 
should be within 6 feet of the base-line. 

Lobs are essentially defensive. The ideas in 
lobbing are: (i) to give yourself time to recover 
position when pulled out of court by your opponent's 
shot; (2) to drive back the net man and break 
up his attack; (3) to tire your opponent; (4) 
occasionally to win cleanly by placement. This 
is usually a lob volley from a close net rally, and is 
a slightly different stroke. 

There is ( 1 ) the chop lob, a heavily under-cut 
spin that hangs in the air. This is the best defensive 
lob, as it goes high and gives plenty of time to 
recover position. (2) The stroke lob or flat lob, 
hit with a slight top spin. This is the point-winning 
lob since it gives no time to the player to run around 



THE VOLLEY AND OVERHEAD SMASH 51 

it, as it is lower and faster than the chop. In mak- 
ing this lob, start your swing like a drive, but allow 
the racquet to slow up and the face to tilt upward 
just as you meet the ball. This shot should seldom 
go above 10 feet in the air, since it tends to go out 
with the float of the ball. 

The chop lob, which is a decided under cut, 
should rise from 20 to 30 feet, or more, high and 
must go deep. It is better to lob out and run your 
opponent back, thus tiring him, than to lob short 
and give him confidence by an easy kill. The value 
of a lob is mainly one of upsetting your opponent, 
and its effects are very apparent if you unexpectedly 
bring off one at the crucial period of a match. 

I owe one of my most notable victories to a very 
timely and somewhat lucky lob. I was playing 
Norman E. Brookes in the fifth round of the 
American Championships at Forest Hills, in 19 19. 
The score stood one set all, 3-2 and 30-15, 
Brookes serving. In a series of driving returns from 
his forehand to my backhand, he suddenly switched 
and pounded the ball to my forehand corner and 
rushed to the net. I knew Brookes crowded the net, 
and with 40-15 or 30-all at stake on my shot, I 
took a chance and tossed the ball up in the air over 
Brookes' head. It was not a great lob, but it was 
a good one. For once Brookes was caught napping, 
expecting a drive down the line. He hesitated, 
then turned and chased the ball to the back stop, 
missing it on his return. I heard him grunt as he 
turned, and knew that he was badly winded. He 



52 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

missed his volley off my return of the next service, 
and I led at 30-40. The final point of the game 
came when he again threw me far out of court on 
my forehand, and, expecting the end drive again, 
crowded the net, only to have the ball rise in the 
air over his head. He made a desperate effort at 
recovery, but failed, and the game was mine: 3-all. 
It proved the turning-point in the match, for it not 
only tired Brookes, but it forced him to hang back 
a little from the net so as to protect his overhead, 
so that his net attack weakened opportunely, and I 
was able to nose out the match in 4 sets. 

Another famous match won by a lob was the 
Johnston-Kingscote Davis Cup Match at Wimble- 
don, in 1920. The score stood 2 sets all, and 
6-5, Johnston leading, with Kingscote having the 
game point at 30-40. Johnston served and ran 
in. Kingscote drove sharply down Johnston's fore- 
hand side-line. Johnston made a remarkable re- 
covery with a half volley, putting the ball high 
in the air and seemingly outside. A strong wind 
was blowing down the court and caught the ball 
and held its flight. It fell on the base-line. Kings- 
cote made a remarkable recovery with a fine lob 
that forced Johnston back. Kingscote took the 
net and volleyed decisively to Johnston's backhand. 
Johnston again lobbed, and by a freak of coincidence 
the ball fell on the base-line within a foot of his 
previous shot. Kingscote again lobbed in return, 
but this time short, and Johnston killed it. 
Johnston ran out the match in the next two points. 



THE VOLLEY AND OVERHEAD SMASH 53 

If a shot can win two such matches as these, it 
is a shot worth learning to use, and knowing when 
to use. The lob is one of the most useful and 
skilful shots in tennis. It is a great defence and a 
fine attack. 

The strokes already analysed, drive, service, 
volley, overhead and lob, are the orthodox strokes 
of tennis, and should be at every player's command. 
These are the framework of your game. Yet no 
house is complete with framework alone. There 
are certain trimmings, ornaments, and decorations 
necessary. There are the luxuries of modern im- 
provements, and tennis boasts of such improvements 
in the modern game. 

Among the luxuries, some say the eccentricities, 
of the modern game one finds ( i ) the chop stroke, 
(2) the slice stroke (a close relative), (3) the drop 
shot, (4) the half-volley or "trap" shot. 

All these shots have their use. None should be 
considered a stock shot. 



CHAPTER V 

CHOP, HALF VOLLEY, AND COURT POSITION 

1AM called at times a chop-stroke player. I 
seldom chop. My stroke is a slice. 

A chop stroke is a shot where the angle towards 
the player and behind the racquet, made by the 
line of flight of the ball, and the racquet travelling 
down across it, is greater than 45 per cent and may 
be 90 per cent. The racquet face passes slightly 
outside the ball and down the side, chopping it, 
as a man chops wood. The spin and curve is 
from right to left. It is made with a stiff wrist. 
Irving C. Wright, brother of the famous Beals, is 
a true chop player, while Beals himself, being a 
left-hander, chopped from the left court and sliced 
from the right. 

The slice shot merely reduced the angle men- 
tioned from 45 per cent down to a very small one. 
The racquet face passes either inside or outside the 
ball, according to direction desired, while the stroke 
is mainly a wrist twist or slap. This slap imparts 
a decided skidding break to the ball, while a chop 
"drags" the ball off the ground without break. 
Wallace F. Johnson is the greatest slice exponent 
in the world. 

54 



HALF VOLLEY AND COURT POSITION 55 

The rules of footwork for both these shots should 
be the same as the drive, but because both are made 
with a short swing and more wrist play, without 
the need of weight, the rules of footwork may be 
more safely discarded and body position not so 
carefully considered. 

Both these shots are essentially defensive, and 
are labour-saving devices when your opponent is 
on the base-line. A chop or slice is very hard to 
drive, and will break up any driving game. 

It is not a shot to use against a volley, as it is too 
slow to pass and too high to cause any worry. It 
should be used to drop short, soft shots at the feet 
of the net man as he comes in. Do not strive to 
pass a net man with a chop or slice, except through 
a big opening. 

The drop-shot is a very soft, sharply-angled chop 
stroke, played wholly with the wrist. It should 
drop within 3 to 5 feet of the net to be of any 
use. The racquet face passes around the outside 
of the ball and under it with a distinct "wrist 
turn." Do not swing the racquet from the shoulder 
in making a drop shot. The drop shot has no 
relation to a stop-volley. The drop shot is all 
wrist. The stop-volley has no wrist at all. 

Use all your wrist shots, chop, slice, and drop, 
merely as an auxilliary to your orthodox game. 
They are intended to upset your opponent's game 
through the varied spin on the ball. 



56 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

THE HALF VOLLEY 

I have now reached the climax of tennis skill: 
the half volley or trap shot. In other words, the 
pick-up. 

This shot requires more perfect timing, eyesight, 
and racquet work than any other, since its margin 
of safety is smallest and its manifold chances of 
mishaps numberless. 

It is a pick-up. The ball meets the ground and 
racquet face at nearly the same moment, the ball 
bouncing off the ground, on the strings. This shot 
is a stiff-wrist, short swing, like a volley with no 
follow through. The racquet face travels along the 
ground with a slight tilt over the ball and towards 
the net, thus holding the ball low; the shot, like all 
others in tennis, should travel across the racquet 
face, along the short strings. The racquet face 
should always be slightly outside the ball. 

The half volley is essentially a defensive stroke, 
since it should only be made as a last resort, when 
caught out of position by your opponent's shot. 
It is a desperate attempt to extricate yourself from 
a dangerous position without retreating. Never 
deliberately half volley. 

Notwithstanding these truths, there are certain 
players who have turned the half volley into a point 
winner. The greatest half volleyer of the past 
decade — in fact, one of the greatest tennis geniuses 
of the world— George Caridia, used the stroke suc- 
cessfully as a point winner. R. N. Williams, the 



HALF VOLLEY AND COURT POSITION 57 

leading exponent of the stroke in the present day, 
achieves remarkable results with it. Major A. R. 
F. Kingscote wins many a point, seemingly lost, by 
his phenomenal half-volley returns, particularly 
from the base-line. These men turn a defence into 
an attack, and it pays. 

So much for the actual strokes of the game. It 
is in the other departments such as generalship and 
psychology that matches are won. Just a few sug- 
gestions as to stroke technique, and I will close 
this section. 

Always play your shot with a fixed, definite idea 
of what you are doing and where it is going. Never 
hit haphazard. 

Play all shots across the short strings of the 
racquet, with the racquet head and handle on the 
same hitting plane for ground strokes and the head 
above the handle for volleys. The racquet head 
should be advanced slightly beyond the wrist for 
ground strokes. 

COURT POSITION 

A tennis court is 39 feet long from base-line to 
net. Most players think all of that territory is a 
correct place to stand. Nothing could be farther 
from the truth. There are only two places in a 
tennis court that a tennis player should be to await 
the ball. 

1. About 3 feet behind the base-line near the 
middle of the court, or 



58 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

2. About 6 to 8 feet back from the net and 
almost opposite the ball. 

The first is the place for all base-line players. 
The second is the net position. 

If you are drawn out of these positions by a shot 
which you must return, do not remain at the point 
where you struck the ball, but attain one of the two 
positions mentioned as rapidly as possible. 

The distance from the base-line to about io feet 
from the net may be considered as "no-man's-land" 
or "the blank." Never linger there, since a deep 
shot will catch you at your feet. After making 
your shot from the blank, as you must often do, 
retreat behind the base-line to await the return, so 
you may again come forward to meet the ball. If 
you are drawn in short and cannot retreat safely, 
continue all the way to the net position. 

Never stand and watch your shot, for to do so 
simply means you are out of position for your next 
stroke. Strive to attain a position so that you 
always arrive at the spot the ball is going to before 
it actually arrives. Do your hard running while the 
ball is in the air, so you will not be hurried in your 
stroke after it bounces. 

It is in learning to do this that natural anticipation 
plays a big role. Some players instinctively know 
where the next return is going and take position 
accordingly, while others will never sense it. It is 
to the latter class that I urge court position, and 
recommend always coming in from behind the base- 



HALF VOLLEY AND COURT POSITION 59 

line to meet the ball, since it is much easier to run 
forward than back. 

Should you be caught at the net, with a short shot 
to your opponent, do not stand still and let him pass 
you at will, as he can easily do. Pick out the side 
where you think he will hit, and jump to it sud- 
denly as he swings. If you guess right, you win 
the point. If you are wrong, you are no worse off, 
since he would have beaten you anyway with his 
shot. 

A notable example of this method of anticipation 
is Norman E. Brookes, who instinctively senses the 
stroke, and suddenly bobs up in front of your best 
shot and kills it. Some may say it is luck, but, to 
my mind, it is the reward of brain work. 

Your position should always strive to be such that 
you can cover the greatest possible area of court 
without sacrificing safety, since the straight shot is 
the surest, most dangerous, and must be covered. 
It is merely a question of how much more court 
than that immediately in front of the ball may be 
guarded. . 

A well-grounded knowledge of court position 
saves many points, to say nothing of much breath 
expended in long runs after hopeless shots. 

It is the phenomenal knowledge of court position 
that allows A. R. F. Kingscote, a very short man, to 
attack so consistently from the net. Wallace F. 
Johnson is seldom caught out of position, so his 
game is one of extreme ease. One seldom sees 



60 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Johnson running hard on a tennis court. He is 
usually there awaiting the ball's arrival 

Save your steps by using your head. It pays in 
the end. Time spent in learning where to play on 
a tennis court is well expended, since it returns to 
you in the form of matches won, breath saved, and 
energy conserved. 

It is seldom you need cover more than two-thirds 
of a tennis court, so why worry about the unneces- 
sary portions of it? 



PART II: THE GENERAL LAWS OF 
TOURNAMENT TENNIS 



PART II: THE GENERAL LAWS OF 
TOURNAMENT TENNIS 

CHAPTER VI 

TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 

TENNIS psychology is nothing more than 
understanding the workings of your oppon- 
ent's mind, and gauging the effect of your own game 
on his mental viewpoint, and understanding the 
mental effects resulting from the various external 
causes on your own mind. You cannot be a suc- 
cessful psychologist of others without first under- 
standing your own mental processes, you must study 
the effect on yourself of the same happening under 
different circumstances. You react differently in 
different moods and under different conditions. 
You must realize the effect on your game of the re- 
sulting irritation, pleasure, confusion, or whatever 
form your reaction takes. Does it increase your 
efficiency? If so, strive for it, but never give it to 
/our opponent. 

Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, 
either remove the cause, or if that is not possible 
strive to ignore it. 

63 



64 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Once you have judged accurately your own re- 
action to conditions, study your opponents', to decide 
their temperaments. Like temperaments react 
similarly, and you may judge men of your own type 
by yourself. Opposite temperaments you must 
seek to compare with people whose reactions you 
know. 

A person who can control his own mental pro- 
cesses stands an excellent chance of reading those of 
another, for the human mind works along definite 
lines of thought, and can be studied. One can 
only control one's mental processes after carefully 
studying them. 

A steady phlegmatic base-line player is seldom a 
keen thinker. If he was he would not adhere to 
the base-line. 

The physical appearance of a man is usually a 
pretty clear index to his type of mind. The stolid, 
easy-going man, who usually advocates the base-line 
game, does so because he hates to stir up his torpid 
mind to think out a safe method of reaching the net. 
There is the other type of base-line player, who 
prefers to remain on the back of the court while 
directing an attack intended to break up your game. 
He is a very darfgerous player, and a deep, keen- 
thinking antagonist. He achieves his results by 
mixing up his length and direction, and worrying 
you with the variety of his game. He is a good 
psychologist. Such players include J. C. Parke, 
Wallace F. Johnson, and Charles S. Garland. The 
first type of player mentioned merely hits the ball 




PLATE VI 



THE AMERICAN TWIST SERVICE. THE START OF THE SWING 

Notice the position of the feet in relation to the baseline. The ball 
high over head. The eyes of the server fixed on the ball and the general 
slope forward to the entire body. 




PLATE VII 



THE AMERICAN TWIST SERVICE. END OF THE SWING 

Notice the weight thrown forward. The swing ends on the right side of 
the head. The wrist is bent and the racquet travels away from the body 
from left to right. The ball is struck under the racquet face. In this 
picture the reader is looking through the strings from above. The left 
arm is used to balance the body. 



TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 65 

with little idea of what he is doing, while the latter 
always has a definite plan and adheres to it. The 
hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing player is a creature 
of impulse. There is no real system to his attack, 
no understanding of your game. He will make 
brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely 
by instinct; but there is no mental power of con- 
sistent thinking. It is an interesting, fascinating 
type. Such men as Harold Throckmorton, B. I. C. 
Norton, and at times R. N. Williams, are examples, 
although Williams is really a better psychologist 
than this sounds. 

The dangerous man is the player who mixes his 
style from back to fore court at the direction of an 
ever-alert mind. This is the man to study and learn 
from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A 
player who has an answer to every query you pro- 
pound him in your game. He is the most subtle 
antagonist in the world. He is of the school of 
Brookes. Second only to him is the man of dogged 
determination that sets his mind on one plan and 
adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the end, 
with never a thought of change. He is the man 
whose psychology is easy to understand, but whose 
mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never 
allows himself to think of anything except the busi- 
ness at hand. This man is your Johnston or your 
Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes 
more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of 
Johnston. 

Pick out your type from your own mental proc- 



66 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

esses, and then work out your game along the lines 
best suited to you. Few of us have the mental 
brilliance of Brookes; but all can acquire the dogged 
determination of Johnston, even if we have not his 
tennis ability. 

When two men are in the same class as regards 
stroke equipment, the determining factor in any 
given match is the mental viewpoint. Luck, 
so-called, is often grasping the psychological value 
of a break in the game, and turning it to your own 
account. 

We hear a great deal about the "shots we have 
made." Few realize the importance of the "shots 
we have missed." The science of missing shots is 
as important as that of making them, and at times 
a miss by an inch is of more value than a return 
that is killed by your opponent. 

Let me explain. A player drives you far out 
of court with an angle shot. You run hard to it, 
and reaching, drive it hard and fast down the side- 
line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is 
surprised and shaken, realizing that your shot might 
as well have gone in as out. He will expect you 
to try it again, and will not take the risk next time. 
He will try to play the ball, and may fall into error. 
You have thus taken some of your opponent's con- 
fidence, and increased his chance of error, all by 
a miss. 

If you had merely popped back that return, and 
it had been killed, your opponent would have felt 
increasingly confident of your inability to get the 



TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 67 

ball out of his reach, while you would merely have 
been winded without result. 

Let us suppose you made the shot down the side- 
line. It was a seemingly impossible get. First it 
amounts to two points in that it took one away 
from your opponent that should have been his and 
gave you one you ought never to have had. It 
also worries your opponent, as he feels he has 
thrown away a big chance. 

The psychology of a tennis match is very inter- 
esting, but easily understandable. Both men start 
with equal chances. Once one man establishes a 
real lead, his confidence goes up, while his opponent 
worries, and his mental viewpoint becomes poor. 
The sole object of the first man is to hold his lead, 
thus holding his confidence. If the second player 
pulls even or draws ahead, the inevitable reaction 
occurs with even a greater contrast in psychology. 
There is the natural confidence of the leader now 
with the second man as well as that great stimulus 
of having turned seeming defeat into probable vic- 
tory. The reverse in the case of the first player 
is apt to hopelessly destroy his game, and collapse 
follows. 

It is this twist in tennis psychology that makes it 
possible to win so many matches after they are 
seemingly lost. This is also the reason that a man 
who has lost a substantial lead seldom turns in the 
ultimate victory. He cannot rise above the de- 
pression caused by his temporary slump. The value 
of an early lead cannot be overestimated. It is 



68 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

the ability to control your mental processes, and 
not worry unduly over early reverses, that makes 
a great match player. 

Playing to the score is the first requisite of a 
thinking match player. The two crucial points in 
any game are the third and fourth. If the first 
two points are divided for 15-all, the third means 
an advantage gained. If won by you, you should 
strive to consolidate it by taking the next for 40—15 
and two chances for game, while if lost, you must 
draw even at 30-all to have an even chance for 
game. 

In order to do this, be sure to always put the 
ball in play safely, and do not take unnecessary 
chances, at 15-all or 30-15. Always make the 
server work to hold his delivery. It worries him 
to serve long games, and increases the nervous 
strain of the match. 

In the game score the sixth, seventh, and eighth 
games are the crux of every close set. These games 
may mean 4-2 or 3-all, 5-2 or 4-3, the most vital 
advantage in the match, or 5-3 or 4-all, a matter 
of extreme moment to a tiring player. If ahead, 
you should strive to hold and increase your lead. 
If behind, your one hope of victory rests in cutting 
down the advantage of the other man before one 
slip means defeat. 5-2 is usually too late to start 
a rally, but 4-3 is a real chance. 

Never throw away a set because a player has a 
lead of 4-1, or even 5-1, unless you already have 
two sets in a ^-set match, and do not wish to risk 



TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 69 

tiring by trying to pull it out, and possibily failing 
at 6-4. The great advantage of 3-1 on your own 
service is a stumbling-block for many players, for 
they unconsciously let up at the fifth game, thinking 
they have a 2-game lead. However, by dropping 
that game, the score will go 2-3 and 3-all if your 
opponent holds service, instead of 1-4 and 4-2, 
thus retaining a distinct advantage and discouraging 
your opponent in that set. 

The first set is vital in a 2 out of 3 match. Play 
for all of it. The second and third sets are the 
turning-point in a best of 5-set match. Take the 
first where possible, but play to the limit for the 
next two. Never allow a 3 out of 5-set match to 
go to the fifth set if it is possible to win in less; 
but never give up a match until the last point is 
played, even if you are two sets and five games down. 
Some occurrence may turn the tide in your favour. 

A notable example of such a match occurred at 
Newport, in 19 16. Wallace F. Johnson and 
Joseph J. Armstrong were playing Ichija Kumagae, 
the famous Japanese star, and Harold A. Throck- 
morton, then Junior Champion of America, in the 
second round of the doubles. 

It was Kumagae's first year in America, and he 
did not understand Americans and their customs 
well. Kumagae and Throckmorton were leading 
one set at 6-0, 5-1, and 40-15, Kumagae serving. 
Throckmorton turned and spoke to him, and the 
Japanese star did not understand what he said. 
He served without knowing, and Armstrong passed 



70 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

him down the centre. Johnson duplicated the feat 
in the next court, and Kumagae grew flustered. 
Throckmorton, not understanding, tried to steady 
him without result, as Kumagae double-faulted to 
Armstrong, and he, too, grew worried. Both men 
began missing, and Johnson and Armstrong pulled 
out the set and won the match in a runaway in the 
last stanza. Johnson and Armstrong met W. M. 
Johnston and C. J. Griffin, the National Champions, 
in the final and defeated them in five sets, inflicting 
the only reverse the title-holders suffered during 
their two-year reign as champions. 

Another much more regrettable incident occurred 
in the famous match between R. L. Murray of 
California and George M. Church of New York in 
the fourth round of the American National Cham- 
pionship in 19 1 6. George Church, then at the 
crest of his wonderful game, had won the first two 
sets and was leading Murray in the third, when 
the famous Californian started a sensational rally. 
Murray, with his terrific speed, merry smile, and 
genial personality, has always been a popular figure 
with the public, and when he began his seemingly 
hopeless fight, the crowd cheered him wildly. He 
broke through Church's service and drew even amid 
a terrific din. Church, always a very high-strung, 
nervous player, showed that the crowd's partiality 
was getting on his nerves. The gallery noticed it, 
and became more partisan than ever. The spirit 
of mob rule took hold, and for once they lost all 
sense of sportsmanship. They clapped errors as 



TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 71 

they rained from Church's racquet; the great game 
collapsed under the terrific strain, and Church's last 
chance was gone. Murray won largely as he 
wanted, in the last two sets. No one regretted 
the incident more than Murray himself, for no finer 
sportsman steps upon the court than this player, 
yet there was nothing that could be done. It was 
a case of external conditions influencing the psychol- 
ogy of one man so greatly that it cost him a victory 
that was his in justice. 

The primary object in match tennis is to break up 
the other man's game. The first lesson to learn is 
to hold your nerve under all circumstances. If you 
can break a player's nerve by pounding at a weak- 
ness, do it. I remember winning a 5-set doubles 
match many years ago, against a team far over 
the class of my partner and myself, by lobbing con- 
tinually to one man until he cracked under the strain 
and threw the match away. He became so afraid 
of a lob that he would not approach the net, and 
his whole game broke up on account of his lack 
of confidence. Our psychology was good, for we 
had the confidence to continue our plan of attack 
even while losing two of the first three sets. His 
was bad, for he lost his nerve, and let us know it. 

Sensational and unexpected shots at crucial mo- 
ments have won many a match. If your opponent 
makes a marvellous recovery and wins by it, give 
him full credit for it, and then forget it, for by 
worrying over it you not only lose that point but 
several others as well, while your mind is still wan- 



72 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

dering. Never lose your temper over your oppon- 
ent's good shots. It is bad enough to lose it at 
your own bad ones. Remember that usually the 
loser of a match plays just as well as the winner 
allows him. Never lose your temper at a bad de- 
cision. It never pays, and has cost many a match. 

I remember a famous match in Philadelphia, be- 
tween Wallace F. Johnson, the fifth ranking player 
in America, and Stanley W. Pearson, a local star, 
in the Interclub tennis league of that city. Johnson, 
who had enjoyed a commanding lead of a set and 
4-1, had slumped, and Pearson had pulled even at 
a set-all, and was leading at 5—1 and 40-15, point 
set match. He pulled Johnson far out to the fore- 
hand and came to the net. Johnson chopped 
viciously down the side-line, but Pearson volleyed 
to Johnson's deep backhand corner. Johnson had 
started running in that direction as he hit his return, 
and arrived almost as Pearson's volley bounced. 
Unfortunately Johnson slipped and went down on 
both knees, but held his racquet. He reached the 
ball and chopped it down the side-line for an earned 
point before Pearson realized he had even offered 
at it. 

Pearson was so surprised and angered that he 
double-faulted for deuce, and Johnson won the 
game. Johnson pulled even at 5-all, before Pearson 
recovered his equilibrium, and finally won the set 
at 17-15. Truly Pearson's lapse at Johnson's mar- 
vellous get was a costly mental break. 

Tennis psychology is far more than the effect of 



TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 73 

certain shots, made or missed, on the player. One 
can sum up such things by saying that every kill 
gives confidence, every error tends to destroy it. 
These things are obvious. The branch of psychol- 
ogy that is interesting is the reaction on the various 
players of different courts, different crowds, and 
other players. 

There is a peculiar atmosphere about the centre 
court at Wimbledon that is unique in my knowledge 
of the game. Certain players revel in it. The 
majority do not feel it, and since they do not sense 
it, they find only the material disadvantages of 
rather bad light, and much noise from the stand, 
and dislike the centre court. Personally, I enjoy 
playing on the centre court at Wimbledon more 
than any court I have ever stepped upon. 

The traditions of the great players of the past, 
the notable personages that make up the parties in 
the Royal Box and Committee Box, the honour of 
a visit from their Majesties the King and Queen, 
and, above all, the generous, non-partisan, sports- 
manlike attitude of the British public, make it a 
unique privilege to enter the centre court in cham- 
pionship competition. These things , inspire the 
mind to an almost abnormal keenness. It is this 
atmosphere that made N. E. Brookes, Anthony F. 
Wilding, A. W. Gore, R. F. and H. L. Doherty 
more dangerous there than anywhere else. It is 
this factor that spurs on J. C. "Parke and A. R. F. 
Kingscote to their greatest tennis to-day. 

The great championship turf at Forest Hills, 



*74 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

where the American Championship is held, offers a 
unique contrast to Wimbledon. 

The age of Wimbledon is its great attraction. It 
is the spirit of youth, of progress, of business-like 
mechanical perfection of management, and the 
enormous crowds and attendant enthusiasm that is 
the chief attraction at Forest Hills. Fully 15,000 
were present on the closing day of the event in 19 19. 
Orderly, courteous, enthusiastic, but partisan, the 
American tennis public comes out to cheer on its 
favourite. No people in the world appreciate 
visiting players more whole-heartedly and none do 
more for their comfort than the American people. 
It is partisan, personal, sporting friendliness, 
warmer yet not so correct as the manner of the 
British public, that the Americans give. We have 
much to learn from our British friends. Yet I 
hope we will never sacrifice the warmth of feeling 
that at times may run away with us, yet in the main 
is the chief attraction of the American p©ople. It 
is this enthusiasm that spurs on the men to their 
greatest efforts in the National Championship. 

The Australian team, Norman E. Brookes, 
Gerald Patterson, Randolph Lycett, and R. V. 
Thomas, who visited the United States in 19 19, 
scored a unique personal triumph. The whole gal- 
lery present at the notable match in the Champion- 
ship, when Patterson went down to defeat in a 
terrific 5-set struggle with W. M. Johnston, rose 
and cheered Patterson as he walked off the court. 
It was a real ovation; a tribute to his sportsman- 



TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY 75 

ship, and an outburst of personal admiration. 
Brookes was the recipient of an equal demonstra- 
tion on his final appearance at Forest Hills. The 
stimulus of the surroundings produced the highest 
tennis of which these men were capable. 

Yet in all championships it is the personal ele- 
ment that is ( the moving factor. Personalities are 
the deciding force in popularity. Patriotism is 
partially submerged in personality. 

The Davis Cup matches bring out the gamest 
struggles in the history of tennis. It is in these 
unique series of matches that the fame of Anthony 
F. Wilding, Norman E. Brookes, J. C. Parke, B. C. 
Wright, M. E. M'Loughlin, and others reached its 
crest. It was the unselfish giving of one's best, 
under all conditions, for the honour of the country 
that called out the finest tennis in each man. Parke 
reached his crest in his memorable defeat of 
Brookes. M'Loughlin has never quite equalled his 
marvellous game of 19 14 against Brookes and Wild- 
ing. 

It is the psychology of patriotism that brings out 
this tennis. 

Personality is submerged. Unity of purpose as 
a team, replaces the object of personal glory that 
is the keynote of championship. 

It is the friendly rivalry of sport, between such 
men as form the backbone of tennis in each country, 
that does more for international understanding than 
all the notes ever written from the White House. 

I could go on writing tennis psychology as ex- 



76 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

plained by external conditions for hundreds of 
pages, but all I want to do is to bring to mind a 
definite idea of the value of the mind in the game. 
Stimulate it how you will, a successful tennis player 
must admit the value of quick mind. Do it by a 
desire for personal glory, or team success, or by 
a love of competition in matching your wits against 
the other man T s, but do it some way. 

Do. not think that tennis is merely a physical 
exercise. It is a mutual cock-tail of a very high 
"kick." 



CHAPTER VII 
MATCH PLAY 

THE first and most important point in match 
play is to know how to lose. Lose cheer- 
fully, generously, and like a sportsman. This is 
the first great law of tennis, and the second is like 
unto it — to win modestly, cheerfully, generously, 
and like a sportsman. 

The object of match play is to win, but no credit 
goes to a man who does not win fairly and squarely. 
A victory is a defeat if it is other than fair. Yet 
again I say to win is the object, and to do so, one 
should play to the last ounce of his strength, the 
last gasp of his'breath, and the last scrap of his 
nerve. If you do so and lose, the better man won. 
If you do not, you have robbed your opponent of 
his right of beating your "best. Be fair to both 
him and yourself. 

"The Play's the thing," and in match play a good 
defeat is far more creditable than a hollow victory. 
Play tennis for the game's sake. Play it for the 
men you meet, the friends you make, and the 
pleasure you may give to the public by the hard- 
working yet sporting game that is owed them by 
their presence at the match. 

Many tennis players feel they owe the public 

77 



78 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

nothing, and are granting a favour by playing. It 
is my belief that when the public so honours a player 
that they attend matches, that player is in duty 
bound to give of his best, freely, willingly, and 
cheerfully, for only by so doing can he repay the 
honour paid him. The tennis star of to-day owes 
his public as much as the actor owes the audience, 
and only by meeting his obligations can tennis be 
retained in public favour. The players get their 
reward in the personal popularity they gain by their 
conscientious work. 

There is another factor that is even stronger than 
this, that will always produce fine tennis in cham- 
pionship events. It is the competitive spirit that is 
the breath of life to every true sportsman: the 
desire to prove to himself he can beat the best of 
the other man ; the real regret that comes when Jie 
wins, and feels the loser was not at his best. It is 
that which has made popular idols of Anthony F. 
Wilding, M. E. M'Loughlin, and other famous 
players. It is the great attraction of J. C. Parke, 
A. R. F. Kingscote, W. M. Johnston, Andre Gobert, 
W. Laurentz, and many other stars. It is the sign 
of a true sportsman. 

The keen competitive spirit that stimulates a 
match player also increases the nervous strain. 
This should be recognized by tournament commit- 
tees, and the conditions of play should be as nearly 
standardized as weather permits." 

A tournament committee should never keep a 
player waiting for an important match to commence 



MATCH PLAY 79 

while they scour through the crowd for linesmen. 
These necessary, and I trust useful, accessories to 
every match of importance should be picked and on 
hand when the players appear. A good linesman 
is a great aid to match tennis. A poor one may 
ruin a great battle. Not only will bad decisions 
turn the tide by putting a point in the wrong col- 
umns, but slow decisions will often upset players, 
so they dare not play to the line kept by slumberous 
linesmen. 

A linesman should take his first judgment as the 
ball strikes. If outside he should call "out" at 
once clearly, decisively, but not too loudly; a yell 
is often a shock to the nerves. If the ball is good 
he should remain discreetly silent. 

The umpire should announce the score after each 
point in a voice sufficiently loud to be heard by the 
entire galLery. His decisions as to "lets" or balls 
"not up" should be made only loud enough to ensure 
that they are heard by the players. The gallery 
has eyes. Following each game, the game score 
should be called, giving the leading player's name 
and the set being played. For example, "Four 
games to three, Parke leads. Second set." About 
every third game following the completion of the 
first set, an announcement as to the winner of the 
first set is a«n excellent idea. The umpire could 
add to the above announcement, "First set, Parke, 
6-3." This latter announcement is unnecessary 
when there is a score board that gives full details 
of the match. 



80 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Tournament committees should see that all courts 
have sufficient room behind the base-line and at 
the sides to insure a player against running into 
the stops. 

Galleries should strive to retain their apprecia- 
tion and enthusiasm until a point is completed, since 
noise is very disconcerting to a player. However, 
all players enjoy an enthusiastic gallery. 

The players themselves must now be considered 
in relation to the reaction of the match. 

The first thing to fix firmly in your mind in play- 
ing a match, is never to allow your opponent to 
play a shot he likes if it is possible to force him 
to make one he does not. Study your opponent 
both on and off the court. Look for a weakness, 
and, once finding it, pound it without mercy. Re- 
member that you do not decide your mode of at- 
tack. It is decided for you by the weakness of 
your opponent. If he dislikes to meet a netman, 
go to the net. If he wants you at the net, stay 
back and force him to come in. If he attacks 
viciously, meet his attack with an equally strong 
offensive. 

Remember that the strongest defence is to at- 
tack, for if the other man is occupied in meeting 
your attack, he will have less time to formulate) his 
own system. 

If you are playing a very steady man, do not 
strive to beat him at his own game. He is better 
at it than you in many cases, so go in and hit to 
win. On the other hand, if you find that your 




PLATE VIII 



THE FOREHAND VOLLEY 

Notice the body at right angles to the net, the left foot advanced to the 
shot, the weight evenly distributed on the feet, the wrist slightly below 
the racquet head, the racquet head itself slightly tilted, to lift the volley, 
and the whole movement a "block" of the ball. The wrist is stiff. There 
is no swing. The eyes are down, watching the ball. The left arm is the 
balance wheel. The body crouched and the knees bent. 




PLATE IX 



THE BACKHAND VOLLEY 

The body position and weight control and balance are the same as in 
the forehand volley. The crouch is more pronounced as the hitting 
plane is lower. The head of the racquet is firmly blocked by the stiff, 
locked wrist. The eyes are centered on the ball, which has just left the 
racquet. 



MATCH PLAY 81 

opponent is wild and prone to miss, play safe and 
reap the full crop of his errors. It saves you 
trouble and takes his confidence. 

Above all, never change a winning game. 

Always change a losing game } since, as you are 
getting beaten that way, you are no worse off and 
may be better with a new style. 

The overstrain of changing a losing game is a 
very serious thing. It is hard to say just when 
you are really beaten. If you feel you are playing 
well yet have lost the first set about 6-3 or 6-4, 
with the loss of only one service, you should not 
change. Your game is not really a losing game. 
It is simply a case of one break of service, and 
might well win the next set. If, however, you 
have dropped the Erst set in a 2 out of 3 match 
with but one or two games, now you are outclassed 
and should try something else. 

Take chances when you are behind, never when 
ahead. Risks are only worth while when you have 
everything to win and nothing to lose. It may 
spell victory, and at least will not hasten defeat. 
Above all, never lose your nerve or confidence in a 
match. By so doing you have handed your oppo- 
nent about two points a game — a rather hard 
handicap to beat. at your best. 

Never let your opponent know you are worried. 
Never show fatigue or pain if it is possible to avoid, 
since it will only give him confidence. Remember 
that he feels just as bad as you, and any sign of 
weakening on your part encourages him to go on. 



82 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

In other words, keep your teeth always in the 
match. 

Don't worry. Don't fuss. Luck evens up in the 
long run, and to worry only upsets your own game 
without affecting your opponent. A smile wins a 
lot of points because it gives the impression of con- 
fidence on your part that shakes that of the other 
man. Fight all the time. The harder the strain 
the harder you should fight, but do it easily, happily, 
and enjoy it. 

Match play, where both men are in the same 
class as tennis players, resolves itself into a battle 
of wits and nerve. The man who uses the first 
and retains the second is the ultimate victor. 

I do not believe in a man who expects to go 
through a long tournament, going "all out" for 
every match. Conserve your strength and your 
finesse for the times you need them, and win your 
other matches decisively, but not destructively. 
Why should a great star discourage and dishearten 
a player several classes below him by crushing him, 
as he no doubt could? A few games a set, well 
earned, would be a big factor in encouraging that 
rising player to play in tournaments, while it would 
in no way injure the reputation of the star. 

.Never hurry your opponent by serving before 
he is fully set to receive. This is a favourite trick of 
a few unscrupulous players, yet is really an unfair 
advantage. Do your hurrying after the ball is in 
play, by running him to unexpected places in the 
court. Should anyone attempt to work the hurried 



MATCH PLAY 83 

service on you, after several attempts, proving it is 
intentional, let the ball go by and say "not ready." 
The server will shortly realize that you will take 
your time regardless of him, and he will slow up. 

I do not advocate stalling — nothing is worse. It 
is a breach of ethics that is wholly uncalled for. 
Play the game naturally, and give your opponent 
full courtesy in all matters. If you do, you will 
receive it in return. 

Take every advantage of any and every weak- 
ness in your opponent's game; but never trespass 
on his rights as regards external advantages. 

Personally I do not believe in "defaulting" a 
match. To "scratch" or "retire," as the term goes, 
is to cheat your opponent of his just triumph, and 
you should never do this unless it is absolutely im- 
possible to avoid. Sickness or some equally impor- 
tant reason should be the sole cause of scratching, 
for you owe the tournament your presence once your 
entry is in. 

Match play should stimulate a player. He should 
produce his best under the excitement of competi- 
tion. Learn your shots in practice, but use them in 
matches. 

Practice is played with the racquet, matches are 
won by the mind. J. C. Parke is a great match 
player, because he is not only a great player but a 
great student of men. He sizes up his opponent, 
and seizes every opening and turns it to his own 
account. Norman E. Brookes is the greatest match 
player the world has ever known, because he is ever 



84 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

ready to change his plan to meet the strategy of 
his opponent, and has both the variety of stroke and 
versatility of intellect to outguess the other the 
majority of times. Brookes is the greatest court 
general, and, in my opinion, the finest tennis intel- 
lect in the world. His mind is never so keen and 
he is never so dangerous as when he is trailing in 
an important match. He typifies all that is great 
in mental match tennis. 

A great star is always at his best in a match, as 
it stimulates his mental and physical faculties to 
the utmost. 

Certain players are more effective against some 
men than others who are not so good. It is the 
uncertainty of match tennis that is its greatest 
charm. Two men may meet for tennis during a 
season, and be so closely matched that each man 
will win two matches and the score seem almost 
one-sided each time. It is a case of getting the 
jump on the other player. 

During 19 19 Johnston and I met four times. 
Twice he defeated me, once in four sets, and once in 
three, while the top victories that were mine were 
scored in identically the same number of sets. The 
most remarkable meeting of two stars was the 
series of matches between R. L. Murray and Ichija 
Kumagae during the seasons of 19 18 and 19 19. In 
the early stages Murray had a decided advantage, 
winning from Kumagae consistently, but by close 
scores. Early in 19 19 Kumagae unexpectedly de- 
feated Murray at Buffalo in four sets. From that 



MATCH PLAY 85 

moment Kumagae held the whip hand. He defeated 
Murray at Niagara-on-the-Lake a week later. 
Murray barely nosed out the Japanese star at 
Cleveland in five sets after Kumagae had the match 
won, only to have Kumagae again defeat him in a 
terrific match at Newport in August. 

Kumagae's game is very effective against Murray, 
because Murray, essentially a volleyer, could not 
exchange ground strokes with the Japanese star 
player successfully, and could not stand the terrific 
pace of rushing the net at every opportunity. Kuma- 
gae conclusively proved his slight superiority over 
Murray last season. 

Vincent Richards, who is not yet the equal of 
Murray, scored two clean-cut victories over Kuma- 
gae during the same period. Why should Richards 
worry Kumagae, who is certainly Murray's superior, 
and yet not cause Murray trouble? 

The answer lies in this style of game. Richards 
uses a peculiar chop stroke from the base-line that is 
very steady. He can meet Kumagae at his own 
base-line game until he gets a. chance to close in to 
the net, where his volleying is remarkable. The 
result is, against Kumagae's driving he is perfectly 
at home. Murray is a vicious net player who swept 
Richards off his feet. The boy has not the speed 
on his ground strokes to pass Murray, who volleys 
off his chop for points, and cannot take the net away 
from him as he cannot handle the terrific speed of 
Murray's game. Thus Murray's speed beats 
Richards, while Richards' steadiness troubles 



86 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Kumagae, yet Kumagae's persistent driving tires 
Murray and beats him. What goqd are compara- 
tive scores? 

Charles S. Garland always defeats Howard 
Voshell, yet loses to men whom Voshell defeats. 
Williams proves a stumbling-block to Johnston, yet 
seldom does well against me. 

The moral to be drawn from the ever-interesting 
upsets that occur every year, is that the style of your 
attack should be determined by the man's weakness 
you are playing. Suit your style to his weakness. 
A chop is the antidote for the drive. The volley 
is the answer to a chop, yet a drive is the only safe 
attack against a volley. The smash will kill a lob, 
yet a lob is the surest defence from a smash. Rather 
a complicated condition, but one which it would do 
well to think over. 

The most dangerous enemy to R. N. Williams is 
a steady base-liner of second class. Williams is apt 
to crush a top-flight player in a burst of superlative 
terms, yet fall a victim to the erratic streak that 
is in him when some second-class player plays pat- 
ball with him. Such defeats were his portion at the 
hands of Ritchie and Mavrogordato in England, yet 
on the same trip he scored notable victories over 
Parke and Johnston. 

Abnormal conditions for match play always tend 
to affect the better player more than the poorer, and 
bring play to a level. 

The reason for this is in the fact that the higher 
the standard of a player's game, the smaller his 



MATCH PLAY 87 

margin of error, the more perfect his bound must 
be, and any variation from the normal is apt to spell 
error. The average player allows himself more 
leeway, and unknowingly increases his chances on a 
bad court. His shot is not judged to the fraction 
of an inch in swing as is the top-flight player, so ft 
slight variation does not affect him. 

Many a great match has been ruined by abnormal 
conditions. Rain caused Williams' downfall to N. 
W. Niles in the 19 17 American Championships. 
Rain and wind marred a great battle between 
Gobert and Johnston at Eastbourne in the Davis 
Cup in 1920. 

The clever match player must always be willing 
to change his game to meet conditions. Failure to 
do so may spell defeat. 

It is this uncertainty, due to external conditions, 
that makes comparative records so useless in judging 
the relative merits of two players you know nothing 
of. Rankings based on mathematical calculations 
of scores are absolutely useless and childish, unless 
tempered by common sense. 

The question of the fitness of conditions of play 
can never be standardized. In America you play 
only if clear. In England sometimes when clear 
but more often in rain, judging by the events I swam 
through in my recent trip. A match player should 
not only be able to play tennis, but should combine 
the virtues of an aeroplane and a submarine as well. 



CHAPTER VIII 
PHYSICAL FITNESS 

PHYSICAL fitness is one of the great essentials 
of match play. Keenness can only be acquired 
if the physical, mental, and nervous systems are in 
tune. Consistent and systematic training is essential 
to a tournament player. 

Regular hours of sleep, and regular, hearty food 
at regular hours are necessary to keep the body at 
its highest efficiency. Food is particularly impor- 
tant. Eat well, but do not over-eat, particularly 
immediately before playing. I believe in a large 
hearty breakfast on the day of a big match. This 
should be taken by nine-thirty. A moderate lunch 
at about one o'clock if playing at three. Do not 
eat very rich food at luncheon as it tends to slow 
you up on the court. Do not run the risk of indiges- 
tion, which is the worst enemy to clear eyesight. 
Rich, heavy food immediately before retiring is 
bad, as it is apt to make you "loggy" on the court 
the next day. 

It is certain injury to touch alcoholic drink in any 
form during tournament play. Alcohol is a poison 
that affects the eye, the mind, and the wind — three 
essentials in tennis. Tobacco in moderation does 

88 



PHYSICAL FITNESS 89 

little harm, although it, too, hits eye and wind. 
A man who is facing a long season of tournament 
play should refrain from either alcohol or tobacco 
in any form. Excesses of any kind are bad for 
physical condition, and should not be chanced. 

Late hours cause sluggishness of mind and body 
the next day. It is very dangerous to risk them 
before a hard match. The moving pictures immedi- 
ately before playing tennis are bad, owing to the eye 
strain caused by the flicker of the film and the 
strong light of the camera. Lead a normal, healthy 
life, and conserve your nervous force wherever pos- 
sible, as you will need it in the hard matches. 

"Staieness" is the great enemy of players who 
play long seasons. It is a case of too much tennis. 
Staieness is seldom physical weariness. A player 
can always recover his strength by rest. Staieness 
is a mental fatigue due often to worry or too close 
attention to tennis, and not enough variety of 
thought. Its symptoms are a dislike for the tennis 
game and its surroundings, and a lack of interest in 
the match when you are on the court. I advocate 
a break in training at such a time. Go to the 
theatre or a concert, and get your mind completely 
off tennis. Do your worrying about tennis while 
you are playing it, and forget the unpleasantness of 
bad play once you are off the court. Always have 
some outside interest you can turn to for relaxation 
during a tournament; but never allow it to interfere 
with your tennis when you should be intent on your 
game. A nice balance is hard to achieve, but! once 



90 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

attained is a great aid to a tournament player. I 
find my relaxation in auction bridge. I know many 
other players who do likewise. Among them are 
Mrs. Franklin Mallory, Wallace F. Johnson, W. 
M. Johnston and Samuel Hardy. 

The laws of training should be closely followed 
before and after a match. Do not get chilled before 
a match, as it makes you stiff and slow. Above all 
else do not stand around without a wrap after a 
match when you are hot or you will catch cold. 

Many a player has acquired a touch of rheuma- 
tism from wasting time at the close of his match in- 
stead of getting his shower while still warm. That 
slight stiffness the next day may mean defeat. A 
serious chill may mean severe illness. Do not take 
chances. 

Change your wet clothes to dry ones between 
matches if you are to play twice in a day. It will 
make you feel better, and also avoid the risk of 
cold. 

Tournament players must sacrifice some pleasures 
for the sake of success. Training will win many a 
match for a man if he sticks to it. Spasmodic 
training is useless, and should never be attempted. 

The condition a player is in is apt to decide his 
mental viewpoint, and aid him in accustoming him- 
self to the external conditions of play. 

All match players should know a little about the 
phenomenon of crowd-psychology since, as in the 
case of the Church-Murray match I related some 



PHYSICAL FITNESS 91 

time back, the crowd may play an important part 
in the result. 

It seldom pays to get a crowd down on you. It 
always pays to win its sympathy. I do not mean 
play to the gallery, for that will have the opposite 
effect than the one desired. 

The gallery is always for the weaker player. It 
is a case of helping the u under-dog." If you are 
a consistent winner you must accustom yourself to 
having the gallery show partiality for your oppo- 
nent. It is no personal dislike of you. It is merely 
a natural reaction in favour of the loser. Some- 
times a bad decision to one play will win the crowd's 
sympathy for him. Galleries are eminently just in 
their desires, even though at times their emotions 
run away with them. 

Quite aside from the effect on the gallery, I wish 
to state here that when you are the favoured one 
in a decision that you know is wrong, strive to equal- 
ize it if possible by unostentatiously losing the next 
point. Do not hit the ball over the back stop or 
into the bottom of the net with a jaunty air of 
"Here you are." Just hit it slightly out or in the 
net, and go on about your business in the regular 
way. Your opponent always knows when you ex- 
tend him this justice, and he appreciates it, even 
though he does not expect it. Never do it for effect. 
It is extremely bad taste. Only do it when your 
sense of justice tells you you should. 

The crowd objects, and justly so, to a display of 
real temper on the court. A player who loses his 



92 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

head must expect a poor reception from the gallery. 
Questioned decisions by a player only put him in 
a bad light with the crowd and cannot alter the 
point. You may know the call was wrong, but grin 
at it, alnd the crowd will join you. These things 
are the essence of good sportsmanship, and good 
sportsmanship will win any gallery. The most un- 
attractive player in the world will win the respect 
and admiration of a crowd by a display of real 
sportsmanship at the time of test. 

Any player who really enjoys a match for the 
game's sake will always be a fine sportsman, for 
there is no amusement to a match that does not give 
your opponent his every right. A. player who plays 
for the joy of the game wins the crowd the first time 
he steps on the court. All the world loves an 
optimist. 

The more tennis I play, the more I appreciate 
my sense of humour. I seldom play a match when 
I do not get a smile out of some remark from the 
gallery, while I know that the gallery always enjoys 
at least one hearty laugh at my expense. I do not 
begrudge it them, for I know how very peculiar 
tennis players in general, and myself in particular, 
appear when struggling vainly to reach a shot hope- 
lessly out of reach. 

Two delightful elderly ladies were witnessing 
Charles S. Garland and myself struggle against 
Mavrogordato and Riseley at the Edgbaston tour- 
nament in England in 1920. One turned to the 
other and said: "Those are the Americans!" 



PHYSICAL FITNESS 93 

"Oh," said the second lady resignedly, "I 
thought so. The tall one [meaning me] looks 
rather queer." 

During the Davis Cup match against the French 
at Eastbourne, I went on the court against Laurentz 
in my blue "woolly" sweater. The day was cold, 
and I played the match 4-1 in Laurentz' favour, 
still wearing it. I started to remove it at the be- 
ginning of the sixth game, when the gallery burst 
into loud applause, out of which floated a sweet 
feminine voice: "Good! Now maybe the poor boy 
will be able to play!" 

For the first time I realized just what the gallery 
thought of my efforts to play tennis, and also of 
the handicap of the famous "blue-bearskin" as they 
termed it 

My favourite expression during my Davis Cup 
trip happened to be "Peach" for any particularly 
good shot by my opponent. The gallery at the 
Championship, quick to appreciate any mannerism 
of a player, and to know him by it, enjoyed the 
remark on many occasions as the ball went floating 
by me. In my match with Kingscote in the final 
set, the court was very slippery owing to the heavy 
drizzle that had been falling throughout the match. 
At 3-2 in my favour, I essayed a journey to the 
net, only to have Kingscote pass me 'cross court to 
my backhand. I turned and started rapidly for 
the shot murmuring "Peach" as I went. Suddenly 
my feet went out and I rolled over on the ground, 
sliding some distance, mainly on my face. I arose, 



94 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

dripping, just in time to hear, sotto voce, in the gal- 
lery at my side: "A little bit crushed, that Peach." 
The sense of humour of the speaker was delightful. 
The whole side-line howled with joy, and the joke 
was on me. 

I am always the goat for the gallery in these 
little jokes, because it is seldom I can refrain from 
saying something loud enough to be heard. 

I remember an incident that caused great joy to 
a large gallery in Philadelphia during a match be- 
tween two prominent local players. One of the men 
had been charging the net and volleying consistently 
off the frame of his racquet, giving a wonderful dis- 
play of that remarkable shot known the world over 
as "the mahogany volley." His luck was phenome- 
nal for all his mis-hit volleys won him points. Fin- 
ally, at the end of a bitterly contested deuce game 
in the last set he again won the deciding point with 
a volley off the wood, just as a small insect flew in 
his eye. 

He called to his opponent: "Just a moment, I 
have a fly in my eye." 

The disgusted opponent looked up and muttered : 
"Fly? Huh! I'll bet it's a splinter!" 

There was a certain young player who was notori- 
ously lax in his eyesight on decisions. He could 
never see one against himself. He became noted 
in his own locality. He and another boy were 
playing a team of brothers who were quite famous 
in the tennis world. One of these brothers had a 
very severe service that the local Captain Kidd could 



PHYSICAL FITNESS 95 

not handle at all. So each time the visiting player 
served close to the line, the boy would swing at it, 
miss it, and call "Fault!" There was no umpire 
available and there was no question of the older 
team losing, so they let it go for some time. Finally 
a service fully 3 feet in was casually called out by 
the youngster. This proved too much for the 
server, who hailed his brother at the net with the 
query: "What was wrong that time?" 

"I don't know," came the reply; "unless he called 
a footfault on you !" 

The assurance of some young players is remark- 
able. They know far more about the game of other 
men than the men themselves. I once travelled to 
a tournament with a boy who casually seated him- 
self beside me in the train and, seeing my tennis 
bag, opened the conversation on tennis and tennis 
players. He finally turned his attention to various 
people I knew well, and suddenly burst out with: 
"Tilden is a chop-stroke player. I know him well." 
I let him talk for about ten minutes, learning things 
about my game that I never knew before. Finally 
I asked his name, which he told me. In reply he 
asked mine. The last view I had of him for some 
time was a hasty retreat through the door of the car 
for air. 

I played my first match against J. C. Parke at 
Wimbledon in 1920. The time before that I had 
been on the court with him was at Germantown 
Cricket Club in 191 1, when I acted as ball-boy in 
the Davis Cup between him and W. A. Larned. 



96 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

The Junior members of the club, sons of the mem- 
bers, used to consider it a great honour to act as 
ball-boy in these matches, and worked every means 
to be picked. I picked up much tennis in those days, 
for I have worked at the ball-boy position for Parke, 
Crawley, Dixon, Larned, Wright, and Ward. 



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PLATE 7 



THE OVERHEAD SMASH 

Notice the full reach and upward forward movement of the body. The 
left arm is again the balancing pole. The eyes are rivetted on the ball. 
The right leg is too high in the air, but it is due to the speed at which 
the play was made. 



CHAPTER IX 
SINGLES AND DOUBLES 

SINGLES, the greatest strain in tennis, is the 
two-handed game. It is in this phase of the 
game that the personal equation reaches its crest of 
importance. This is the game of individual effort, 
mental and physical. 

A hard 5-set singles match is the greatest strain 
on the body and nervous system of any form of 
sport. Richard Harte and L. C. Wister, the former 
* famous Harvard University football and baseball 
player, the latter a football star at Princeton, both 
of whom are famous tennis players, have told me 
that a close 5-set tennis match was far more wearing 
on them than the biggest football game they had 
ever played. 

Singles is a game of daring, dash, speed of foot 
and stroke. It is a game of chance far more than 
doubles. Since you have no partner dependent upon 
you, you can afford to risk error for the possibility 
of speedy victory. Much of what I wrote under 
match play is more for singles than doubles, yet let 
me call your attention to certain peculiarities of 
singles from the standpoint of the spectator. 

A gallery enjoys personalities far more than 

97 



98 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

styles. Singles brings two people into close and 
active relations that show the idiosyncrasies of each 
player far more acutely than doubles. The specta- 
tor is in the position of a man watching an insect 
under a microscope. He can analyse the inner 
workings. 

The freedom of restraint felt on a single court is 
in marked contrast to the need for team work in 
doubles. Go out for your shot in singles whenever 
there is a reasonable chance of getting it. Hit 
harder at all times in singles than in doubles, for 
you have more chance of scoring and can take more 
risk. 

Few great singles players are famous in doubles. 
Notable exceptions to the above statement come 
to mind at once in the persons of the Dohertys, 
Norman E. Brookes, and F. B. iUexander. Yet 
who could accuse W. M. Johnston, R. N. Wil- 
liams (notwithstanding his World's Championship 
doubles title), Andre Gobert, the late Anthony F. 
Wilding, M. E. M'Loughlin, or Gerald Patterson 
of playing great doubles? All these men are won- 
derful singles players, playing singles on a double 
court alongside some suffering partner. The daring 
that makes for a great singles player is an eternal 
appeal to a gallery. None of the notable doubles 
players, who have little or no claim to singles fame, 
have enjoyed the hero-worship accorded the famous 
singles stars. H. Roper-Barrett, Stanley Doust, 
Harold H. Hackett, Samuel Hardy, and Holcombe 
Ward, all doubles players of the very highest order, 



SINGLES AND DOUBLES 99 

were, and are, well liked and deservedly popular, 
but are not idolized as were M'Loughlin or Wilding. 

Singles is a game of the imagination, doubles a 
science of exact angles. 

Doubles is four-handed tennis. Enough of this 
primary reader definition. I only used that so as 
not to be accused of trying to write over the heads 
of the uninitiated. 

It is just as vital to play to your partner in tennis 
as in bridge. Every time you make a stroke you 
must do it with a definite plan to avoid putting your 
partner in trouble. The keynote of doubles success 
is team work; not individual brilliancy. There is 
a certain type of team work dependent wholly upon 
individual brilliancy. Where both players are in 
the same class, a team is as strong as its weakest 
player at any given time, for here it is even team 
work with an equal division of the court that should 
be the method of play. In the case of one strong 
player and one weaker player, the team is as good as 
the strong player can make it by protecting and de- 
fending the weaker. This pair should develop its 
team work on the individual brilliancy of the 
stronger man. 

The first essential of doubles play is to put the 
ball in play. A double fault is bad in singles, but 
it is inexcusable in doubles. The return of service 
should be certain. After that it should be low and 
to the server coming in. Do not strive for clean aces 
in doubles until you have the opening. Remember 
that to pass two men is a difficult task. 



100 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Always attack in doubles. The net is the only 
place in the court to play the doubles game, and 
you should always strive to attain the net position. 
There are two formations for the receiving team: 
one is the Australian formation with the receiver's 
partner standing in to volley the server's return 
volley; the other is the English and American style 
with both men back, thus giving the net attack to 
the server. This is safer, but less likely to produce 
a winning result unless the team is a wonderful lob- 
bing combination. Lobbing is a sound defence in 
doubles, and is used to open the court. 

I believe in always trying for the kill when you 
see a real opening. * 'Poach" (go for a shot which 
is not really on your side of the court) whenever 
you see a chance to score. Never poach unless you 
go for the kill. It is a win or nothing shot since it 
opens your whole court. If you are missing badly 
do not poach, as it is very disconcerting to your part- 
ner. 

The question of covering a doubles court should 
not be a serious one. With all men striving to 
attain the net all the time every shot should be 
built up with that idea. Volley and smash when- 
ever possible, and only retreat when absolutely 
necessary. 

When the ball goes toward the side-line the net 
player on that side goes in close and toward the 
line. His partner falls slightly back and to the 
centre of the court, thus covering the shot between 
the men. If the next return goes to the other 



SINGLES AND DOUBLES 101 

side, the two men reverse positions. The theory 
of court covering is two sides of a triangle, with 
the angle in the centre and the two sides running 
to the side-lines and in the direction of the net. 

Each man should cover overhead balls. over his 
own head, and hit them in the air whenever possible, 
since to allow them to drop gives the net to the 
other team. The only time for the partner to 
protect the overhead is when the net man "poaches," 
is outguessed, and the ball tossed over his head. 
Then the server covers and strives for a kill at 
once. 

Always be ready to protect your partner, but do 
not take shots over his head unless he calls for you 
to, or you see a certain kill. Then say "Mine," 
step in and hit decisively. The matter of overhead 
balls, crossing under them, and such incidentals of 
team work are matters of personal opinion, and 
should be arranged by each team according to their 
joint views. I only offer general rules that can be 
modified to meet the wishes of the individuals. 

Use the lob as a defence, and to give time to 
extricate yourself and your partner from a bad posi- 
tion. The value of service in doubles cannot be 
too strongly emphasized since it gives the net to 
the server. Service should always be held. To lose 
service is an unpardonable sin in first-class doubles. 
All shots in doubles should be low or very high. Do 
not hit shoulder-high as it is too easy to kill. Volley 
down and hard if possible. Every shot you make 



102 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

should be made with a definite idea of opening the 
court. 

Hit down the centre to disrupt the team work of 
the opposing team ; but hit to the side-lines for your 
aces. 

Pick one man, preferably the weaker of your op- 
ponents, and centre your attack on him and keep it 
there. Pound him unmercifully, and in time he 
should crack under the attack. It is very foolish to 
alternate attack, since it simply puts both men on 
their game and tires neither. 

If your partner starts badly play safely and 
surely until he rounds to form. Never show annoy- 
ance with your partner. Do not scold him. He is 
doing the best he can, and fighting with him does no 
good. Encourage him at all times and don't worry. 
A team that is fighting among themselves has little 
time left to play tennis, and after all tennis is the 
main object of doubles. 

Offer suggestions to your partner at any time 
during a match; but do not insist on his following 
them, and do not get peevish if he doesn't. He 
simply does not agree with you, and he may be 
right. Who knows? 

Every doubles team should have a leader to direct 
its play; but that leader must always be willing to 
drop leadership for any given point when his part- 
ner has the superior position. It is policy of attack 
not type of stroke that the leader should determine. 

Pick a partner and stick to him. He should be 
a man you like and want to play with, and he should 



SINGLES AND DOUBLES 103 

want to play with you. This will do away with 
much friction. His style should not be too nearly 
your own, since you double the faults without greatly 
increasing the virtues. 

I am a great believer in a brilliant man teaming 
up with a steady player. Let your steady man 
keep the ball in play, and allow your brilliant man 
all the room he wants to "poach" and kill. Thus 
you get the best of both men. 

Doubles is a game of finesse more than speed. 
The great doubles players, the Dohertys, Norman 
E. Brookes, the greatest in the world to-day, Roper 
Barrett, Beals Wright, and F. B. Alexander, are all 
men of subtle finesse rather than terrific speed. 

It requires more than speed of shot to beat two 
men over a barrier 3 to 3^ feet high with a distance 
of some 32 feet. It is angles, pace, and accuracy 
that should be the aim in a great doubles game. 
Resource, versatility, and subtlety, not speed, win 
doubles matches. 



PART III: MODERN TENNIS AND ITS 
FUTURE 



PART III: MODERN TENNIS AND ITS 
FUTURE 

CHAPTER X 
THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 

LAWN tennis is the outgrowth of the old French 
game of the courts of the early Louis. It 
spread to England, where it gained a firm hold on 
public favour. The game divided ; the original form 
being closely adhered to is the game known in 
America as "Court tennis," but which is called 
"Tennis" in England. Lawn tennis grew out of it. 

The old style game was played over a net some 
5 feet high, and the service was always from the 
same end, the players changing courts each game. 
It was more on the style of the present game of 
badminton or battledore and shuttlecock. 

Gradually the desire for active play had its effect, 
in a lowered net and changed laws, and tennis, as we 
know it, grew into being. From its earliest period, 
which is deeply shrouded in mystery, came the terms 
of "love" for "nothing" and "deuce" for "40-all." 
What they meant originally, or how they gained 
their hold is unknown, but the terms are a tradition 

X07 



108 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

of the game and just as much a part of the scoring 
system as the "game" or "set" call. 

In 1920 the Rules Committee of the American 
Tennis Association advocated a change in scoring 
that replaced love, 15, 30, 40 with the more compre- 
hensive 1, 2, 3, 4. The real reason for the proposed 
change was the belief that the word "love" in 
tennis made the uninitiated consider the game effemi- 
nate and repelled possible supporters. The loyal 
adherents of the old customs of the game proved 
too strong, and defeated the proposed change in 
scoring by an overwhelming majority. 

Personally, I think there is some slight claim to 
consideration for the removal of the word "love." 
It can do no good, and there are many substitutes 
for it. It can easily be eliminated without revolu- 
tionizing the whole scoring system. It is far easier 
to substitute the words "zero," "nothing," for 
"love" than cause such an upheaval as was proposed. 
In my opinion the best way to obviate the matter 
is to use the player's name in conjunction with the 
points won by him, when his opponent has none. 
If the first point is won by Williams, call the score 
"15, Williams" and, with his opponent scoring the 
next, the call would become "15-all." 

If tennis loses one adherent, it could otherwise 
gain, simply by its retaining the word "love" in the 
score, I heartily advocate removing it. This re- 
moval was successfully accomplished in Chicago in 
19 19, with no confusion to players, umpires, or 
public. 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 109 

However, returning from my little digression on 
the relative value of "love" and "nothing," let me 
continue my short history of the game. The play- 
ing of tennis sprang into public favour so quickly 
that in a comparatively short space of time it was 
universally played in England and France. The 
game was brought to America in the latter part of 
the nineteenth century. Its growth there in the 
past twenty-live years has been phenomenal. Dur- 
ing the last half century tennis gained a firm foothold 
in all the colonies of the British Empire, and even 
found favour in the Orient, as is explained in an- 
other portion of this book. 

Tennfs fills many needs of mankind. It provides 
an outlet for physical energy, relaxation, mental 
stimulus, and healthful exercise. The moral tone is 
aided by tennis because the first law of tennis is 
that every player must be a good sportsman and 
inherently a gentleman. 

Tennis was recognized by the Allied Governments 
as one of the most beneficial sports during the 
World War. Not only were the men in service en- 
couraged to play whenever possible, but the Allied 
Governments lent official aid to the various service 
tournaments held in France following the signing of 
the Armistice. The importance of tennis in the 
eyes of the American Government may be gleaned 
from the fact that great numbers of hard courts' 
were erected at the various big cantonments, and 
organized play offered to the soldiers. 

Many of the leading players who were in training 



110 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

in America at the time of the National Champion- 
ship, which was played solely to raise money for 
the Red Cross, were granted leave from their va- 
rious stations to take part in the competition. 
Among the most notable were Wallace F. Johnson, 
Conrad B. Doyle, Harold Throckmorton, S. How- 
ard Voshell, and myself, all of whom were granted 
leave of two weeks or a month. Captain R. N. 
Williams and Ensigns William M. Johnston and 
Maurice E. M'Loughlin, and many other stars, were 
overseas. Official recognition at such a time puts 
a stamp of approval on the game which goes far 
to justify its world-wide popularity. 

The tennis world lost many of its best in that 
titanic struggle. The passing of so many from its 
ranks left gaps that will be hard to fill. 

The gallant death of Anthony F. Wilding in Flan- 
ders cost the game one of its greatest players and 
finest men. I had not the pleasure of knowing 
Wilding personally yet I, like all the tennis world, 
felt a sense of keen personal loss at his heroic 
passing. Wilding was a man whose sterling quali- 
ties gave even more to the game than his play, and 
tennis is better for his all too brief career. . 

America lost some of its finest manhood in the 
War, and tennis paid its toll. No player was a more 
likeable personality nor popular figure among the 
rising stars than John Plaffman, the young Harvard 
man who gave his life in Flanders fields. I cannot 
touch on the many heroes who made everlasting 
fame in a bigger game than that which they loved 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 111 

so well. Time is too short. It is sufficient to know 
that the tennis players of the world dropped their 
sport at the call of War, and played as well with 
death as ever they did on the tennis court. 

The War is over, please God never to return, and 
the men are back from their marvellous task. The 
game of War is done, the games of Peace are again 
being played. Tennis suffered the world over from 
war's blight, but everywhere the game sprang up 
in renewed life at the close of hostilities. The sea- 
son of 19 19 was one of reconstruction after the 
devastation. New figures were standing in promi- 
nence where old stars were accustomed to be seen. 
The question on the lips of all the tennis players 
was whether the stars of pre-War days would return 
to their former greatness. 

The Championship of the World for 19 19 at 
Wimbledon was anxiously awaited. Who would 
stand forth as the shining light of that meeting? 
Gerald Patterson, the "Australian Hurricane," as 
the press called him, came through a notable field 
and successfully challenged Norman Brookes for the 
title. Gobert and Kingscote fell before him, and 
the press hailed him as a player of transcendent 
powers. 

The Australian team of Brookes, Patterson, R. 
V. Thomas, and Randolph Lycett journeyed home 
to the Antipodes by way of America to compete in 
the American Championship. Meanwhile R. N. 
Williams, W. M. Johnston, and Maurice E. 
M'Loughlin were demobilized, and were again on 



112 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

the courts. The American Championships assumed 
an importance equal to that of the Wimbledon 
event. 

The Australian team of Brookes and Patterson 
successfully challenged the American title-holders 
in doubles, Vincent Richards and myself, after de- 
feating the best teams in America, including W. M. 
Johnston and C. J. Griffin, the former champions. 
Speculation was rife as to Patterson's ability to tri- 
umph in the Singles Championship,- and public inter- 
est ran high. 

The Singles Championship proved a notable tri- 
umph for W. M. Johnston, who won a decisive, 
clear-cut, and deserved victory from a field never 
equalled in the history of tennis. Johnston defeated 
Patterson in a marvellous 5-set struggle, while 
Brookes lost to me in four sets. M'Loughlin went 
down to Williams in a match that showed the fam- 
ous comet but a faint shadow of his former self. 
Williams was defeated in sequence sets by me. The 
final round found Johnston in miraculous form and 
complete master of the match from start to finish, 
and he defeated me in three sequence sets. 

Immediately following the championship, the 
Australian-American team match took place. In 
this Brookes went down to defeat before Johnston 
in four close sets, while I succeeded in scoring an- 
other point by nosing out Patterson by the same 
score. Thus 19 19 gave Johnston a clear claim to 
the title of the World's Premier Tennis Player. 






PLATE XI 



THE BACKHAND HALF VOLLEY 

Notice the ball about to strike the ground and the racquet traveling to 
meet it at the moment of its contact with the ground. The whole body- 
movement is forward. The body is at right angles to the net. The wrist 
locked and the ball blocked back with little follow through. The eyes 
are watching the ball meet the face of the racquet. 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 113 

The whole season saw marked increase in tennis in- 
terest throughout the entire world. 

I have gone into more detail concerning the sea- 
son of 19 19 than I otherwise would, to attempt to 
show the revival of the tennis game in the public 
interest, and why it is so. 

The evolution of the tennis game is a natural 
logical one. There is a definite cycle of events that 
can be traced. The picture is clearest in America 
as the steps of advancements are more definitely 
defined. It is from America that I am going to 
analyse the growth of modern tennis. 

The old saying, "Three generations from shirt 
sleeves to shirt sleeves," may well be parodied to 
"Three decades from ground strokes to ground 
strokes." The game of tennis is one great circle 
that never quite closes. Progress will not allow a 
complete return to the old style. Yet the style, 
without the method of thirty years ago, is coming 
back in vogue. It is a polished, decorated version 
of the old type game. It is expanded and developed. 
History tells us that the civilization of the old 
Greeks and Romans held many so-called modern 
luxuries, but not the methods of acquiring them 
we have to-day. Just so with tennis ; for the ground- 
stroke game was the style of the past, just as it will 
be the style of the future; but the modern method 
of making ground strokes is a very different thing 
, from the one used by the old-time stars. 

We are on the brink of the upheaval. The next 
few years will show results in the tennis game that 



114* THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

were not thought of before the War. Tennis is 
becoming an organized sport, with skilled manage- 
ment. Modern methods, where efficiency is the 
watchword, is the new idea in tennis development. 

Tennis is on the verge of the greatest increase in 
its history. Never before has tennis of all types 
been so universally played, nor by such great multi- 
tudes. Its drawing power is phenomenal, hundreds 
of thousands of people witnessing matches the world 
over, and played during the season of 1920. 

There are more players of fame now before the 
public than at any previous time since tennis became 
established. The standard of play of the masses 
and quality of game of the stars have risen tremend- 
ously in the last decade. No less an authority than 
Norman E. Brookes, whose active playing days 
cover a period of twenty years, told me during the 
American Championships last year at Forest Hills, 
that in his opinion the game in America had ad- 
vanced fully "15" in ten years. He stated that he 
believed the leading players of to-day were the supe- 
rior of the Larneds, Dohertys, and Pirns of the past. 

The most remarkable advance has been along the 
lines of junior play: the development of a large 
group of boys ranging in age from thirteen to 
eighteen, who will in time replace the Johnstons, 
Williams, and M'Loughlins of to-day. 

American tennis has passed through a series of 
revolutionary stages that have changed the complex 
of the game. English tennis has merely followed 
its natural development, unaffected by external in- 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 115 

fluences or internal upheaval, so that the game to- 
day is a refined product of the game of twenty years 
ago. Refined but not vitalized. The World War 
alone placed its blight on the English game, and 
changed the even tenor of its way. Naturally the 
War had only a devastating effect. No good sprang 
from it. It is to the everlasting credit of the 
French and English that during those horrible four 
years of privation, suffering, and death the sports 
of the nations lived. 

The true type of English tennis, from which 
American tennis has sprung, was the base-line driv- 
ing game. It is still the same. Well-executed 
drives, hit leisurely and gracefully from the base- 
line, appealed to the temperament of the English 
people. They developed this style to a perfection 
well-nigh invincible to cope with from the same posi- 
tion. The English gave the tennis world its tradi- 
tions, its Dohertys and its Smiths. 

Tennis development, just as tennis psychology, is 
largely a matter of geographical distribution. This 
is so well recognized now in America that the coun- 
try is divided in various geographic districts by the 
national association, and sectional associations carry 
on the development of their locality under the super- 
vision of the national body. 

Naturally new countries, with different customs, 
would not develop along the same lines as England. 
America, Australia, and South Africa took the Eng- 
lish style, and began their tennis career on the base- 
line game. Each of these has since had a distinct 



116 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

yet similar growth — a variance to the original style. 

American tennis followed the English base-line 
style through a period that developed Dr. Dwight, 
R. D. Sears, Henry Slocum, and other stars. Tennis, 
during this time, was gaining a firm hold among the 
boys and young men who found the deep-driving 
game devoid of the excitement they desired. Ameri- 
cans always enjoy experiments, so the rising players 
tried coming to the net at any reasonable opening. 
Gradually this plan became popular, until Dwight 
Davis and Holcombe Ward surprised the tennis 
world with their new service, now the American 
twist, and used it as an opening gun in a net attack. 

This new system gave us besides Davis and Ward, 
the Wrenn brothers, George and Robert, Malcolm 
Whitman, M. G. Chace, and finally Beals C. 
Wright. The base-line game had its firm adherents 
who followed it loyally, and it reached its crest in 
the person of William A. Larned. Previous to this 
time, speed, cyclonic hitting and furious smashing 
were unknown, although rumours of some player 
named M'Loughlin combining these qualities were 
floating East from the Pacific Coast. Not much 
stock was taken in this phenomenon until 1908, when 
Maurice Evans M'Loughlin burst upon the tennis 
world with a flash of brilliancy that earned him his 
popular nickname, "The California Comet." 

M'Loughlin was the turning-point in American 
tennis. He made a lasting impression on the game 
that can never be erased. His personality gained 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 117 

him a following and fame, both in America and 
England, that have seldom been equalled in the 
sporting world. 

M'Loughlin was the disciple of speed. Cyclonic, 
dynamic energy, embodied in a fiery-headed boy, 
transformed tennis to a game of brawn as well as 
brains. America went crazy over "Red Mac," and 
all the rising young players sought to emulate his 
game. No man has brought a more striking per- 
sonality, or more generous sportsmanship, into ten- 
nis than M'Loughlin. The game owes him a great 
personal debt; but this very personal charm that was 
his made many players strive to copy his style and 
methods, which unfortunately were not fundamen- 
tally of the best. M'Loughlin was a unique tennis 
player. His whole game was built up on service and 
overhead. His ground strokes were very faulty. 
By his personal popularity M'Loughlin dwarfed the 
importance of ground strokes, and unduly empha- 
sized the importance of service. M'Loughlin gave 
us speed, dash, and verve in our tennis. It remained 
for R. N. Williams and W. M. Johnston to restore 
the balance of the modern game by solving the riddle 
of the Californian's service. Brookes and Wilding 
led the way by first meeting the ball as it came off 
the ground. Yet neither of these two wizards of the 
court successfully handled M'Loughlin's service as 
did Williams and Johnston. 

M'Loughlin swept Brookes and Wilding into the 
discard on those memorable days in 19 14, when 
the dynamic game of the fiery-headed Californian 



118 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

rose to heights it had never attained previously, 
and he defeated both men in the Davis Cup. Less 
than one month later Williams, playing as only 
Williams can, annihilated that mighty delivery and 
crushed M'Loughlin in the final of the National 
Championship. It was the beginning of the end 
for M'Loughlin, for once his attack was repulsed 
he had no sound defence to fall back on. 

Williams and then Johnston triumphed by the 
wonderful ground strokes that held back M'Lough- 
lin's attack. 

To-day we are still in the period of service and 
net attack, with the cycle closing toward the ground- 
stroke game. Yet the circle will never close, for the 
net game is the final word in attack, and only attack 
will succeed. The evolution means that the ground 
stroke is again established as the only modern de- 
fence against the net player. 

Modern tennis should be an attacking service, 
not necessarily epoch-making, as was M'Loughlin's, 
but powerfully offensive, with the main portion of 
the play from the base-line in sparring for openings 
to advance to the net. Once the opening is made 
the advance should follow quickly, and the point 
ended by a decisive kill. That is the modern Ameri- 
can game. It is the game of Australia as typified by 
Patterson schooled under the Brookes tutelage. It 
is the game of France, played by Gobert, Laurentz, 
and Brugnon. It has spread to South Africa, and 
is used by Winslow, Norton, and Raymond. Japan 
sees its possibilities, and Kumagae and Shimidzu are 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 119 

even now learning the net attack to combine with 
the base-line game. England alone remains obstinate 
in her loyalty to her old standby, and even there 
signs of the joint attack are found in the game of 
Kingscote. 

Tennis has spread so rapidly that the old idea of 
class and class game has passed away with so many 
other ancient, yet snobbish, traditions. Tennis is 
universally played. The need of proper develop- 
ment of the game became so great in America that 
the American Lawn Tennis Association organized, 
in 19 17, a system of developing the boys under 
eighteen years of age all over the United States. 

The fundamental idea in the system, which had 
its origin in the able brain of Julian S. Myrick, 
President of the United States Lawn Tennis Asso- 
ciation, was to arouse and sustain interest in the 
various sections by dealing with local conditions. 
This was successfully done through a system of local 
open tournaments, that qualified boys to a sectional 
championship. These sectional championships in 
turn qualified the winners for the National Junior 
Championship, which is held annually in conjunction 
with the men's event at Forest Hills. 

The success of the system has been stupendous. 
The growth of tennis in certain localities has been 
phenomenal. In Philadelphia alone over 500 boys 
compete in sanctioned play annually, while the city 
ranking for 19 19 contained the names of 88 boys 
under eighteen, and 30 under fifteen, all of whom 
had competed in at least three sanctioned events. 



120 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

The school leagues of the city hold a schedule of 
726 individual matches a year. The success of the 
Philadelphia junior system is due to the many large 
clubs who give the use of their courts and the balls 
for an open tournament. Among these clubs^ are 
Germantown Cricket Club, Cynwyd Club, Philadel- 
phia Cricket, Overbrook Golf Club, Belfield Coun- 
try Club, Stenton A. C, Green Point Tennis Club, 
and at times Merion Cricket Club. The movement 
has been fostered and built up by the efforts of a 
small group of meri, the most important of whom is 
Paul W. Gibbons, President of the Philadelphia 
Tennis Association, together with Wm. H. Connell 
of Germantown, the late Hosmer W. Hanna of 
Stenton, whose untiring efforts aided greatly in ob- 
taining a real start, Dr. Chuton A. Strong, Presi- 
dent of the Interscholastic League, Albert L. Hos- 
kins, for years Vice-President of the U.S.L.T.A., 
and others. This plan brought great results. It de- 
veloped such players as Rodney M. Beck, H. F. 
JDomkin, G. B. Piingst, Carl Fischer, the most prom- 
ising boy in the city, who has graduated from the 
junior age limit, and Charles Watson (third), who, 
in 1920, is the Philadelphia Junior Champion, and 
one of the most remarkable players for a boy of six- 
teen I have ever seen. 

New York City was fortunate m having F. B. 
Alexander, the famous Internationalist, to handle 
the junior tennis there. He, together with Julian 
S. Myrick, and several other men, built up a series 
of tournaments around New York that produced 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 121 

some remarkable young players. It is largely due 
to the junior system that Vincent Richards has 
become the marvellous player that he is, at such an 
early age. Second only to Richards, and but a shade 
behind, are Harold Taylor and Cecil Donaldson, 
who have just passed out of the junior age limit. 
Charles Wood, the Indoor Boys Champion, is a 
remarkable youngster. 

In New England, particularly in Providence, 
through the efforts of J. D. E. Jones, junior tennis 
is rapidly assuming an important place, and many 
young stars v/ho will be heard of in the future are 
coming to the fore. By a strange coincidence the 
list is headed by the two sons of Jones. They 
seem to have inherited their father's ability. Arnold 
W. Jones, the National Boy Champion, is a player 
of marked ability, with a fine all-around game. 
Following closely on his heels come J. D. E. Jones, 
Jr., and Wm. W. Ingraham. From the South one 
finds John E. Howard. Around Chicago a group 
of men, led by Samuel Hardy, captain of the 1920 
Davis Cup team, and assisted by R. T. Van Arsdale, 
built up a magnificent system of tournaments and 
coaching. Hardy left Chicago and came to New 
York in 19 19; but the work which he so ably organ- 
ized will continue under the supervision of the West- 
ern Association. The leading juniors developed 
in Chicago were Lucian Williams and the Weber 
brothers, James and Jerry. 

From the Pacific Coast, the pioneer in junior de- 
velopment, wonderful boys are continually coming 



122 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

East. A boy's tennis game matures early in Cali- 
fornia. M'Loughlin was about eighteen when he 
first came East ; Johnston less than twenty-one when 
he won the national title the first time; Mqrvin 
Griffin and Morgan Fottrell are in 1920 the lead- 
ing youngsters in California. 

The success of the Californians is due largely to 
the efforts of Dr. Sumner Hardy, brother of Samuel 
Hardy, and one of the most remarkable figures in 
the tennis world. Dr. Hardy practically carries 
the California Association single handed. He is a 
big factor in American tennis success. 

From up in Washington State, a fine young 
player, Marshall Allen, has come to the fore. 

Charles S. Garland, the Davis Cup star, is a 
former Junior Champion of America, and a product 
of the junior system in Pittsburg, which is so ably 
handled by his father, Charles Garland. Other 
young stars developing include George Moreland 
and Leonard Reed. 

Most of the foregoing is irrelevant, I suppose, but 
I have gone into detail because I want to prove that 
America has gone into the matter of junior develop- 
ments, carefully, systematically, and has produced 
results. 

It has been proved conclusively that it is in the 
schools that the most favourable progress could be 
made. Once tennis is placed on the basis of im- 
portance it deserves, the boys will take, it up. At 
present there is a tendency to discount tennis and 
golf in school. This is a big mistake, as these two 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 123 

games are the only ones that a man can play regu- 
larly after he leaves college and enters into busi- 
ness. The school can keep a sport alive. It is 
schools that kept cricket alive in England, and lack 
of scholastic support that killed it in America. The 
future of tennis in England, France, Australia, 
Japan, etc., rests in the hands of the boys. If the 
game is to grow, tennis must be encouraged among 
the youngsters and played in the schools. 

England is faced with a serious problem. Eton 
and Harrow, the two big schools, are firm set 
against tennis. The other institutions naturally fol- 
low in the lead of these famous schools. The 
younger generation is growing up with little or no 
knowledge of tennis. One thing that forcibly bore 
in on my mind, during my trip in 1920, was the com- 
plete absence of boys of all ages at the various tour- 
naments. In America youngsters from ten years of 
age up swarm all over the grounds at big tennis 
events. I saw very few of either at Queen's Club, 
Wimbledon, Eastbourne, or Edgbaston where I 
played. The boys do not understand tennis in Eng- 
land, and naturally do not care to play it. 

The English Lawn Tennis Association is very 
desirous of building up tennis in the schools; but 
so far has not yet succeeded in breaking down the 
old prejudice. It is really a question of life or death 
with English tennis at this time. Major A. R. F. 
Kingscote, the youngest of the leading players in 
England, is older than any man in the American 
First ten, with the single exception of Walter T. 



124 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Hayes. J. C. Parke has stated definitely that 1920 
marked his retirement from the game. He is just 
under forty. Young players must be found to re- 
place the waning stars. The danger is not imme- 
diate, for all the players who proved so good in 
1920 seemed certain of several more years of first- 
class play; but what of the next ten years? 

The future development of tennis is dependent 
largely upon the type of court that will become the 
standard. All big fixtures to-day are played on 
grass wherever possible. There is little question 
but that the grass game is the best. In the first 
place, it is the old-established custom, and should be 
maintained if possible. Secondly, the game is more 
skilful and more interesting on turf. Thirdly, grass 
is far easier on the eyes and feet of the players 
than any other surface. 

There are drawbacks to grass courts. Grass 
cannot grow in all climates. The grass season 
opens late and closes early. The expense of upkeep 
is very great, and skilled groundsmen are required 
at all clubs that have grass courts. 

The hard court of clay or dirt, cinder, en-tout-cas, 
or asphalt allows more continuous play and uniform 
conditions in more kinds of weather. The bound 
is truer and higher, but the light and surface are 
harder on the player. The balls wear light very 
rapidly, while racquets wear through quite soon. 

The advantages are a much longer season on hard 
courts, with less chance of weather interrupting im- 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 125 

portant meetings. The courts reauire far less care 
in upkeep than grass. 

What has been the actual tendency in the last 
decade? In America the hard courts erected have 
been approximately nine to one grass. America 
is rapidly become a hard-court country. France is 
entirely on a hard-court basis; there are no grass 
courts at all. Play in South Africa is entirely on 
hard courts. Australia and the British Isles have 
successfully repelled the hard-court invasion thus 
far, although during the past two years the number 
of hard courts put up in England has exceeded 
grass. 

The en-tout-cas court of peculiar red surface is 
the most popular composition in England and the 
Continent. 

There seems little doubt but that the hard court 
is the coming surface in the next decade. Grass will 
continue to be used for the most important events, 
but the great majority of the tennis played, ex- 
clusive of the championships, will be on hard courts. 

The result on the game will be one of increasing 
the value of the ground stroke and partially cutting 
down the net attack, since the surface of a hard court 
is slippery and tends to make it hard to reach the 
net to volley. Thus the natural attack will become 
a drive and not a volley. Hard-court play speeds 
up the ground strokes, and makes the game more 
orthodox. 

The installation of hard courts universally should 
spread tennis rapidly, since it will afford more chance 



126 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

to play over a longer period. The growth of public 
courts in the parks and the municipal play grounds 
in America has been a big factor in the spread of the 
game's popularity. Formerly a man or boy had to 
belong to a club in order to have an opportunity 
to play tennis. Now all he needs is a racquet and 
balls, and he may play on a public court in his own 
city. This movement will spread, not only in 
America but throughout the world. England and 
France have some public courts; but their systems 
are not quite as well organized as the American. 

The branch of tennis which England and France 
foster, and in which America is woefully lax, is the 
indoor game. Unfortunately the majority of the 
courts abroad have wood surfaces, true but light- 
ning fast. The perfect indoor court should retain 
its true bound, but slow up the skid of the ball. The 
most successful surface I have ever played upon is 
battleship linoleum — the heavy covering used on 
men-of-war. This gives a true, slightly retarded 
bound, not unlike a very fast grass court. 

Indoor play in America is sadly crippled by reason 
of no adequate facilities for play. The so-called 
National Indoor Championship is held at the 
Seventh Regiment Armoury in New York City on a 
wood floor, with such frightful lighting that it is 
impossible to play real tennis. The two covered 
courts at Longwood Club, Boston, are very fine, well 
lighted, with plenty of space. There is a magnificent 
court at Providence, and another at Buffalo. Utica 
boasts of another, while there are several fine courts, 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN GAME 127 

privately owned, on Long Island. New York City 
uses the big armouries for indoor play; but the sur- 
face and light in these are not fit for real tennis. 
The Brooklyn Heights Casino has the only adequate 
court in the Metropolitan district. 

Philadelphia and Chicago, cities of enormous 
populations and great tennis interest, have no courts 
or facilities for indoor play. This condition must be 
rectified in America if we wish to keep our suprem- 
acy in the tennis v/orld. The French players are re- 
markable on wood. Gobert is said to be the supe- 
rior of any player in the world, when playing under 
good conditions indoors. The game of tennis is 
worthy of having all types of play within reach of its 
devotees. Why should a player drop his sport in 
October because the weather is cold? Indoor play 
during the winter means an improvement from sea- 
son to season. Lack of it is practically stagnation 
or retrogression. 

The future will see a growth of hard-court play 
the world over. Grass must fight to hold its posi- 
tion. Indoor play will come more and more into 
vogue. 



CHAPTER XI 
THE PROBABLE FUTURE OF THE GAME 

WHAT will be the outcome of the world-wide 
boom in tennis? Will the game change 
materially in the coming years? Time, alone, can 
answer; but with that rashness that seizes one when 
the opportunity to prophesy arrives and no one is 
at hand to cry "Hold, hold," I dare to submit my 
views on the coming years in international tennis. 

I do not look to see a material change in the play- 
ing rules. A revival of the footfault fiend, who de- 
sires to handicap the server, is international in char- 
acter and, like the poor, "always with us." The 
International Federation has practically adopted a 
footfault rule for 192 1 that prohibits the server 
lifting one foot unless replaced behind the base-line. 
It is believed this will do away with the terrific 
services. The only effect I can see from it is to move 
the server back a few inches, or possibly a foot, 
while he delivers the same service and follows in 
with a little more speed of foot. It will not change 
the game at all. Sir Oliver Lodge, the eminent 
scientist, has joined the advocates of but one service 
per point. This seems so radical and in all so use- 
less, since it entirely kills service as other than a 

128 




PLATE XII 



rHE BACKHAND RUNXING VOLLEY 

Notice the right leg advanced and the locked wrist. The body is side- 
ways to the net. These two pictures [Plates XI and XII], taken dur- 
ing the English championships in actual competition, are remarkable 
action pictures of high-class tennis. 



THE PROBABLE FUTURE OF THE GAME 129 

mere formality, and puts it back where it was 
twenty-five years ago, that I doubt if even the 
weight of Sir Oliver Lodge's eminent opinion can 
put it over. To allow one service is to hand the 
game more fully into the receiver's hands than it now 
rests in the server's. 

The playing rules are adequate in every way, and 
the perfect accord with which representatives of the 
various countries meet and play, happily, success- 
fully, and what is more important, annually, is suffi- 
cient endorsement of the fundamental principles. 
The few slight variations of the different countries 
are easily learned and work no hardships on visiting 
players. Why change a known successful quantity 
for an unknown? It seldom pays. 

The style of play is now approaching a type which 
I believe will prove to have a long life. To-day we 
are beginning to combine the various styles in one 
man. The champion of the future will necessarily 
need more equipment than the champion of to-day. 
The present shows us the forehand driving of John- 
ston, the service of Murray, the volleying of Rich- 
ards, the chop of Wallace F. Johnson, the smash of 
Patterson, the half volley of Williams, and the back 
hand of Pell. The future will find the greatest 
players combining much of these games. It can be 
done if the player will study. I believe that every 
leading player in the world in 1950 will have a drive 
and a chop, fore- and backhand from the base-line. 
He will use at least two styles of service, since one 
will not suffice against the stroke of that period. He 



130 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

will be a volleyer who can safely advance to the net, 
yet his attack will be based on a ground game.' He 
must smash well. In short, I believe that the key to 
future tennis success lies in variety of stroke. The 
day of the one-stroke player is passing. Each year 
sees the versatile game striding forward by leaps 
and bounds. 

The future champion of the world must be a man 
of keen intellect, since psychology is assuming the 
importance that is its due. He must train earnestly, 
carefully, and consistently. The day of playing suc- 
cessful tennis and staying up till daybreak is over. 
The game is too fast and too severe for that. As 
competition increases the price of success goes up; 
but its worth increases in a greater ratio, for the man 
who triumphs in the World's Championship in 1950 
will survive a field of stars beyond our wildest 
dreams in 1920. 

What of the various countries? America should 
retain her place at or near the top, for the boys we 
are now developing should not only make great play- 
ers themselves, but should carry on the work of 
training the coming generations. 

England has but to interest her youth in the game 
to hold her place with the leaders. I believe it will 
be done. I look to see great advances made in 
tennis among the boys in England in the next few 
years. I believe the game will change to conform 
more to the modern net attack. England will never 
be the advanced tennis-playing country that her 
colonies are, for her whole atmosphere is one of 



THE PROBABLE FUTURE OF THE GAME 131 

conservatism in sport. Still her game will change. 
Already a slight modification is at work. The next 
decade will see a big change coming over the style 
of English tennis. The wonderful sporting abilities 
of the Englishman, his ability to produce his best 
when seemingly down and out mean that, no matter 
how low the ebb to which tennis might fall, the in- 
herent abilities of the English athlete would always 
bring it up. I sound pessimistic about the immedi- 
ate future. I am hot, provided English boyhood is 
interested in the game. 

Japan is the country of the future. There is no 
more remarkable race of students on the globe than 
the Japanese. They like tennis, and are coming 
with increasing numbers to our tournaments. They 
prove themselves sterling sportsmen and remarkable 
players. I look to see Japan a power in tennis 
in the next twenty-five years. 

France, with her brilliant temperamental unstable 
people, will always provide interesting players and 
charming opponents. I do not look to see France 
materially change her present position — which is 
one of extreme honour, of great friendliness, and 
keen competition. Her game will not greatly rise, 
nor will she lose in any way the prestige that is 
hers. 

It will be many long years before the players of 
those enemy countries, who plunged the world into 
the horrible baptism of blood from which we have 
only just emerged, will ever be met by the players 
of the Allies. Personally, I trust I may not see their 



138 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

re-entry into the game. Not from the question of 
the individuals, but from the feeling which will not 
down. There is no need to deal at this time with the 
future of Germany and Austria. 

Australasia and South Africa, the famous colonies 
of the British Empire, should be on the edge of a 
great tennis wave. I look to see great players rise 
in Australasia to refill the gaps left by the passing of 
Wilding and the retirement of Brookes. It takes 
great players to fill such gaps ; but great players are 
bred from the traditions of the former masters. 
The future should see America and Australia fight- 
ing for supremacy in the tennis world, with England 
and France close on their heels to jump in the lead 
at the first faltering. 

It is only a matter of time before the last differ- 
ences between the International Federation and the 
America Association are patched up. The funda- 
mental desires of each, to spread the growth of 
tennis, are the same. Sooner or later the ban will 
fall, and a trusty International Federation, world- 
wide in scope, will follow. 

I look to see the Davis Cup matches gain in 
importance and public interest as each year goes 
by. The growth of the public interest in the game 
is seen at every hand. Wimbledon must seek new 
quarters. The new grounds of the All England Club 
will provide accommodation for 20,000 to witness 
the championships. This enormous stadium is the 
result of public pressure, owing to the crowd that 
could not be accommodated at the old grounds. 



THE PROBABLE FUTURE OF THE GAME 133 

Westside Club, Forest Hills, where the American 
Championship is held, is planning accommodation 
for 25,000, provided that they are awarded the 
championship for a long term of years. Davis Cup 
matches are now drawing from 10,000 to 15,000 
where the accommodation is available. What will 
the future hold? 

I believe that 1950 will find the game of tennis 
on a plane undreamed of to-day. Tennis is still 
in its infancy. May I have the pleasure to help 
in rocking the cradle. 

My task is completed. I have delved into the 
past, analysed the present, and prophesied the fu- 
ture, with a complete disregard of conventions and 
traditions. 

The old order changeth, and I trust that my book 
may aid slightly in turning the tennis thought in 
the direction of organized developments. The day 
of self is past. The day of co-operation is dawning. 
It is seen in the junior tennis, the municipal tennis, 
and the spirit of international brotherhood in the 
game. 

Assistance is necessary to success in any venture. 
My book has been made possible only by the aid 
afforded me by several of my companions on the 
Davis Cup team trip. The task of arranging the 
material in coherent order and proper style is one 
of the most important points. I owe a debt of 
gratitude to Mrs. Samuel Hardy, wife of our cap- 
tain, for her never-failing interest and keen judg- 
ment in the matter of style. 



134 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Mr. Hardy, with his great knowledge of the game 
of tennis, as player, official, and organizer, freely 
gave of his store of experience, and to him I owe 
much that is interesting in the tactics of the game. 

R. N. Williams, my team-mate, was always a 
willing critic and generous listener, and his playing 
abilities and decided ideas on the game gave much 
material that found its way into these pages. I 
wish to express my gratitude for his able assistance. 

Charles S. Garland, my doubles partner and close 
friend, gave never-wavering faith and a willing ear 
to my ravings over strokes, tactics, and theories, 
while his orthodox views on tennis acted as a stop 
on my rather Bolshevik ideas. 

To all these people I express my thanks for their 
part in any success I may attain with this book. I 
have a firm belief in the future of tennis. I recom- 
mend it to all. It gives firm friends, a healthy body, 
a keen mind, and a clean sport. It calls forth the 
best that is in you, and repays you in its own coin. 



PART IV: SOME SIDELIGHTS ON FAMOUS 
PLAYERS 



PART IV: SOME SIDELIGHTS ON FAMOUS 
PLAYERS 

INTRODUCTORY 

PT. BARNUM once said: "You can fool 
4 some of the people all of the time, and all of 
the people some of the time, but you can't fool all 
of the people all of the time." P. T. was an able 
judge of the public, and it is just this inability to fool 
all of the people all of the time that accounts for the 
sudden disappearance from the public eye of some 1 
one who only fooled all of the people for a little 
while. That person was a sham, a bluff, a gamester. 
He, or she, as the case may be, had no personality. 

Personality needs no disguise with which to fool 
the people. It is not hidden in a long-hair eccentric 
being. That type is merely one of those who are 
"born every minute," as the saying goes. Per- 
sonality is a dynamic, compelling force. It is a 
positive thing that will not be obliterated. 

Personality is a sexless thing. It transcends sex. 
Theodore Roosevelt was a compelling personality, 
and his force and ability were recognized by his 
friends and enemies alike while the public, the 
masses, adored him without knowing why. Sarah 
Bernhardt, Eleanor Duse, and Mary Garden carry 

*S7 



138 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

with them a force far more potent in its appeal to 
the public than their mere feminine charm. They 
hold their public by personality. It is not trickery, 
but art, plus this intangible force. 

The great figures in the tennis world that have 
held their public in their hands, all have been men 
of marked personality. Not all great tennis players 
have personality. Few of the many stars of the 
game can lay claim to it justly. The most powerful 
personality in the tennis world during my time is 
Norman E. Brookes, with his peculiar sphinx-like 
repression, mysterious, quiet, and ominous calm. 
Brookes repels many by his peculiar personality. 
He never was the popular hero that other men, 
notably M'Loughlin and Wilding, have been. Yet 
Brookes always held a gallery enthralled, not only 
by the sheer wizardry of his play, but by the power 
of his magnetic force. 

Maurice E. M'Loughlin is the most remarkable 
example of a wonderful dynamic personality, liter- 
ally carrying a public off its feet. America and 
England fell before the dazzling smile and vibrant 
force of the red-haired Californian. His whole game 
glittered in its radiance. His was a triumph of a 
popular hero. 

Anthony F. Wilding, quiet, charming, and mag- 
netic, carried his public away with him by his 
dynamic game. It was not the whirlwind flash of 
the Comet M'Loughlin that swept crowds off their 
feet, it was more the power of repression that com- 
pelled. 



INTRODUCTORY 139 

I know no other tennis players that sweep their 
public away with them to quite the same degree as 
these three men I have mentioned. R. L. Murray 
has much of M'Loughlin's fire, but not the spon- 
taneity that won the hearts of the crowd. Tennis 
needs big personalities to give the public that glow 
of personal interest that helps to keep the game 
alive. A great personality is the property of the 
public. It is the price he must pay for his gift. 

It is the personal equation, the star, who appeals 
to the public's imagination. 

I do not think it is the star who keeps the game 
alive. It is that great class of players who play 
at clubs the world over, who can never rise above 
the dead level of mediocrity, the mass of tennis en- 
thusiasts who play with dead racquets and old balls, 
and who attend all big events to witness the giants 
of the court, in short, "The Dubs" (with a capital 
D), who make tennis what it is, and to whom tennis 
owes its life, since they are its support and out from 
them have come our champions. 

Champions are not born. They are made. They 
emerge from a long, hard school of defeat, dis- 
encouragement, and mediocrity, not because they are 
born tennis players, but because they are endowed 
with a force that transcends discouragement and 
cries "I will succeed." 

There must be something that carries them up 
from the mass. It is that something which appeals 
in some form to the public. The public may like 
it, or they may dislike it, but they recognize it. 



140 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

It may be personality, dogged determination, or 
sheer genius of tennis, for all three succeed; but be 
it what it may, it brings out a famous player. The 
quality that turns out a great player, individualizes 
his game so that it bears a mark peculiar to himself. 
I hope to be able to call to mind the outstanding 
qualities of some of the leading tennis players of the 
world. 

Where to start, in a field so great, representing as 
it does America, the British Isles, Australia, France, 
Japan, South Africa, Rumania, Holland, and 
Greece, is not an easy task; but it is with a sense of 
pride and a knowledge that there is no game better 
fitted to end this section of my book, and no man 
more worthy to lead the great players of the world, 
that I turn to William M. Johnston, the champion 
of the United States of America, and my team-mate 
in the Davis Cup team of 1920. 



CHAPTER XII 

AMERICA 

WILLIAM M. JOHNSTON 

THE American champion is one of the really 
great orthodox players in the world. There 
is nothing eccentric, nothing freakish about his 
game. 

Johnston is a small man, short and light; but by 
perfect weight-control, footwork, and timing he hits 
with terrific speed. 

His service is a slice. Hit from the top of his 
reach Johnston gets power and twist on the ball with 
little effort. He has a wonderful forehand drive, 
of a top-spin variety. This shot is world famous, 
for never in the history of the game has so small 
a man hit with such terrific speed and accuracy. The 
racquet travels flat and then over the ball, with a 
peculiar wrist-snap just as the ball meets the racquet 
face. The shot travels deep and fast to the base- 
line. 

Johnston's backhand is a decided "drag" or chop., 
He hits it with the same face of the racquet as his 
forehand, and with very little change in grip. It 
is remarkably steady and accurate, and allows John- 
ston to follow to the net behind it. 

141 



142 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Johnston's volleying is hard, deep, and usually 
very reliable. He crouches behind his racquet and 
volleys directly in to the flight of the ball, hitting 
down. His low volleys are made with a peculiar 
wrist-flick that gives the rise and speed. His over- 
head is accurate, reliable, but not startling in its 
power. Johnston's game has no real weakness, while 
his forehand and volleying are superlative. 

Johnston is a remarkable match player. He 
reaches his greatest game when behind. He is one 
of the hardest men to beat in the game owing to his 
utter lack of fear and the dogged determination 
with which he hangs on when seemingly beaten. He 
is quiet, modest, and a sterling sportsman. He gets 
a maximum result with a minimum effort. 

R. N. WILLIAMS 

R. N. Williams, American Champion 19 14 and 
19 1 6, another of my Davis Cup team-mates, is a 
unique personality in the tennis world. Personally, 
I believe that Williams at his best is the greatest 
tennis player in the world, past or present. Un- 
fortunately, that best is seldom seen, and then not 
for a consistent performance. He is always danger- 
ous, and his range of variation is the greatest among 
any of the leading players. 

Williams' service is generally a fast slice, although 
he at times uses an American twist. He is erratic 
in his delivery, scoring many aces, but piling up 
enormous numbers of double-faults. His ground 
strokes are made off the rising bound of the ball. 



AMERICA 143 

They are flat or slightly sliced. Never topped, But 
sometimes pulled. Williams' margin of safety is 
so small that unless his shot is perfectly hit it is 
useless. He hits hard at all times and makes tre- 
mendous numbers of earned points, yet his errors 
always exceed them, except when he strikes one of 
his "super" days. 

His volleying is very hard, crisp, and decisive, 
coupled with an occasional stop volley. His use 
of the half volley is unequalled in modern tennis. 
His overhead is severe and ordinarily reliable, al- 
though he will take serious slumps overhead. He 
is a past master of his own style strokes, but it is an 
unorthodox game that should not be copied by the 
average player. 

He is never willing to alter his game for safety's 
sake, and defeats himself in sheer defiance by hitting 
throughout a match when his strokes are not work- 
ing. He is greatly praised for this unwillingness 
to alter his game in defeat. Personally, I think he 
deserves condemnation rather than praise, for it 
seems recklessness rather than bravery to thus seek 
defeat that could easily be avoided. 

Williams takes tennis almost too lightly. Cheery, 
modest, and easy-going, he is very popular with; all 
galleries, as his personality deserves. He is a bril- 
liant ever-interesting light in any tennis gathering, 
and his game will always show sheer genius of exe- 
cution even while rousing irritation by his refusal 
to play safe. He would rather have one super-great 
iay and bad defeats, than no bad defeats without 



144 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

his day of greatness. Who shall say he is not right? 
We may not now agree, but Williams may yet prove 
to us he is right and we are wrong. 



CHARLES S. GARLAND 

The last member of the Davis Cup team and 
youngest player of the Americans is Charles S. 
Garland, the Yale star. 

Garland is the perfect stylist, the orthodox model 
for ground strokes. He is an example of what 
stroke perfection can do. 

He uses a soft slice service, of no particular 
peculiarity, yet places it so well that he turns it into 
an attack. His forehand is hit with a full swing, 
flat racquet face, and a slight top spin. It is deadly 
accurate and of moderate speed. He can put the 
ball at will anywhere in the court off his forehand. 
His backhand is slightly sliced down the line and 
pulled flat across the court. It is not a point winner 
but is an excellent defence. His overhead is steady, 
reliable, and accurate, but lacks aggressiveness. His 
high volleying is fine, deep, and fast. His low vol- 
leying is weak and uncertain. He anticipates 
wonderfully, and covers a tremendous amount of 
court. His attack is rather obvious in that he sel- 
dom plays the unusual shot, yet his accuracy is so 
great that he frequently beats a man who guesses 
his shot yet can't reach it. 

N. E. Brookes stated he considered Garland one 
of the greatest ground-stroke players in the world. 





C. S. GARLAND AND R. N. WILLIAMS 

America 



W. M. JOHNSTON 

America 



IPbbb -mm e^ ^'" w ' ^522 


W ' Wl\ 


' ' '* ■Pm^' ^-^^ 




i Iw^^v t 




E^^pX -ill 




| BB 




I 

1 1 1 






A. G. GOBERT 

France 



W. A. LAURENTZ 

France 



PLATE XIII 




A. R. F. KINGSCOTE 

British Isles 





GERALD PATTERSON 

Australia 



T. M. MAVROGORDATO 

British Isles 



PLATE XIV 



AMERICA 145 

This is true of his forehand, but his backhand lacks 
punch. His whole game needs speed and aggres- 
siveness. 

He is quiet, modest, and extremely popular. His 
perfect court manner and pleasant smile have made 
Garland a universal favourite in America and Eng- 
land. His game is the result of hard, conscientious 
work. There is no genius about it, and little natural 
talent. It is not an interesting game as it lacks 
brilliancy, yet it is very sound, and much better than 
it looks. 

VINCENT RICHARDS 

Vincent Richards, National Junior Champion of 
America and the most remarkable boy playing ten- 
nis, is a distinct personality. Richards, who is now 
only seventeen, won the Men's Doubles Champion- 
ship of America at the age of fifteen. Richards is 
a born tennis player and a great tennis genius. 

Richards' service is a fast slice that he follows 
to the net. It is speedy and very accurate. His 
ground strokes are both slice and drive, although 
the basis of his game is slice. He meets the ball on 
the rise and "spoons" it off his forehand. It is low, 
fast, but none too sure. His backhand shot is a fast 
twisting slice that is remarkably effective and very 
excellent as a defence. He is learning a flat drive. 

His volleying is the great feature of his game. 
He is the greatest natural volleyer I have ever seen. 
Low and high volleying, fore- and backhand is per- 
fect in execution. His half volleying is phenomenal. 



146 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

His overhead is very severe for a boy, and carries 
great speed for so small a person, but it is inclined 
to be slightly erratic. He is tremendously fast on 
his feet, but it inclined to be lazy. 

Vincent Richards has the greatest natural apti- 
tude and equipment of any tennis player I have ever 
seen. Against it he has a temperament that is in- 
clined to carelessness and laziness. He tends to 
sulkiness, which he is rapidly outgrowing. He is a 
delightful personality on the court, with his slight 
figure, tremendous speed, and merry smile. He is a 
second "Gus" Touchard in looks and style. I hope 
to see him develop to be the greatest player the 
world has ever seen. He gives that promise. The 
matter rests in Richards' hands, as his worst enemy 
is his temperament. 

At his best he is to-day the equal of the top flight 
in the world. At his worst he is a child. His 
average is fine but not great. Travel, work, sincere 
effort, and a few years, should turn this astonishing 
boy into a marvellous player. 

R. L. MURRAY 

The new "California Comet," successor to M. E. 
M'Loughlin, is the usual sobriquet for R. L. 
Murray, now of Buffalo. Murray won the National 
Crown in 19 17-19 1 8. 

His service is of the same cyclonic character as 
M'Loughlin. Murray is left-handed. He hits a 
fast cannon-ball delivery of great speed and an 



AMERICA 147 

American twist of extreme twist. His ground strokes 
are not good, and he rushes the net at every oppor- 
tunity. His forehand drive is very fast, excessively 
topped, and exceedingly erratic. His backhand is a 
"poke." His footwork is very poor on both shots. 
He volleys very well, shooting deep to the base-line 
and very accurately. His shoulder-high volleys are 
marvellous. His overhead is remarkable for its 
severity and accuracy. He seldom misses an over- 
head ball. 

Murray is a terrifically hard worker, and tires 
himself out very rapidly by prodigious effort. He 
is a hard fighter and a hard man to beat. He works 
at an enormous pace throughout the match. 

He is large, spare, rangy, with dynamic energy, 
and a wonderful personality that holds the gallery. 
His smile is famous, while his sense of humour never 
deserts him. A sportsman to his finger-tips, there 
is no more popular figure in American tennis than 
Murray. His is not a great game. It is a case of 
a great athlete making a second-class game first 
class, by sheer power of personality and fighting 
ability. He is really a second M'Loughlin in his 
game, his speed, and his personal charm. 

WATSON M. WASHBURN 

In contrast to Murray, Watson M. Washburn 
plays a cool, never-hurried, never-flurried game that 
is unique in American tennis. 

There is little that is noteworthy of Washburn's 



148 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

game. His service is a well-placed slice. His ground 
strokes are a peculiar "wrist-slap," almost a slice. 
His volleying fair, his overhead steady but not re- 
markable. Just a good game, well rounded but not 
unique. Why is Washburn great? Because, behind 
the big round glasses that are the main feature 
of Washburn on the tennis court, is a brain of the 
first water, directing and developing that all-round 
game. There is no more brilliant student of men 
in games than Washburn, and his persistence of at- 
tack is second only to Brookes'. 

Washburn, too, is a popular player, but not in the 
same sense as Murray. Murray appeals to the 
imagination of the crowd, Washburn to its academic 
instincts. Washburn is a strategist, working out 
his match with mathematical exactness, and always 
checking up his men as he goes along. 

There is no tennis player whose psychology I 
admire more than Washburn's. He is never beaten 
until the last point is played, and he is always dan- 
gerous, no matter how great a lead you hold over 
him. 

Another case of the second-class game being made 
first class, but this time it is done by mental bril- 
liancy. 

WALLACE F. JOHNSON 

tlere is another case of a second-class game being 
used in a first-class manner, getting first-class results 
through the direction of a first-class tennis brain. 
Johnson is not the brilliant, analytical mind of 



AMERICA 149 

Washburn, but for pure tennis genius Johnson 
ranks nearly the equal of Brookes. 

Johnson is a one-stroke player. He uses a 
peculiar slice shot hit from the wrist. He uses it 
in service, ground strokes, volleying, and lobbing. 
It is a true one-stroke game, yet by sheer audacity 
of enterprise and wonderful speed of foot Wallace 
Johnson has for years been one of the leading 
players of America. 

There are many other great players I would like 
to analyse, but space forbids. Among our leaders 
are Roland Roberts, John Strachan, C. J. Griffin, 
Willis E. Davis, and Robert Kinsey in California; 
Walter T. Hayes, Ralph Burdock, and Heath By- 
ford in the Middle West ; Howard Voshell, Harold 
Throckmorton, Conrad B. Doyle, Craig Biddle, 
Richard Harte, Colket Coner, Nathaniel W. Niles, 
H. C. Johnson, Dean Mathey, and many others of 
equal fame in the East. 



CHAPTER XIII 

BRITISH ISLES 

J. C. PARKE 

THERE is no name in tennis history of the 
past decade more famous than that of J. C. 
Parke. In twelve months, during 19 12 and 19 13, 
he defeated Brookes, Wilding, and M'Loughlin — a 
notable record; and now in 1920, after his wonder- 
ful work in the World War, he returns to tennis 
and scores a decisive victory over W. M. Johnston. 

Parke is essentially a base-line player. His 
service is soft, flat, but well placed. His ground 
strokes are hit with an almost flat racquet face and 
a peculiar short swing. He uses a pronounced snap 
of the wrist. He slices his straight backhand shot, 
but pulls his drive 'cross court. It is Parke's famous 
running drive down the line that is the outstanding 
feature of his game. Parke was a ten-second 
hundred-yard man in college, and still retains his 
remarkable speed of foot. He hits his drive while 
running at top speed and translates his weight to the 
ball. It shoots low and fast down the line. It is a 
marvellous stroke. 

Parke's volleying is steady and well placed but 
not decisive. His overhead is reliable and accurate, 

150 



BRITISH ISLES 151 

but lacks "punch." The great factor of Parke's 
game is his uncanny ability to produce his greatest 
game under the greatest stress. I consider him one 
of the finest match players in the world. His tacti- 
cal knowledge and brainy attack are all the more 
dangerous, because he has phenomenal power of 
defence and fighting qualities of the highest order. 
There is no finer sportsman in tennis than Parke. 
Generous, quiet, and modest, Parke is deservedly a 
popular figure with the tennis world. 

A. R. F. KINGSCOTE 

The most recent star to reach the heights of fame 
in English tennis is Major A. R. F. Kingscote. 
Kingscote has played good tennis for some years; 
but it was only in 19 19, following his excellent work 
in the War, that he showed his true worth. He 
defeated Gobert in sequence sets in the Davis Cup 
tie at Deauville, and followed by defeating Anderson 
in Australia and carrying Patterson to a hard match. 
Since then he has steadily improved and this season 
found him the leading figure of the British team. 

Kingscote played much of his early tennis with 
R. N. Williams in Switzerland during 19 10 and 
19 1 1. The effect of this training is easily seen on 
his game to-day for, without Williams' dash and ex- 
treme brilliancy, their strokes are excuted in very 
much the same style. 

Kingscote's service is a fast slice, well placed and 
cleverly disguised. It carries a great deal of pace 



152 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

and twist. His ground strokes are hit off the rising 
bound of the ball, with a flat raquet face or a slight 
slice. His wonderful speed of foot offsets his lack 
of height, and he hits either side with equal facility. 
There are no gaps in Kingscote's game. It is per- 
fectly rounded. His favourite forehand shot is 
'cross court, yet he can hit equally well down the 
line. His backhand is steady, very accurate and 
deceptive, but rather lacks speed. His volleying 
is remarkable for his court covering and angles, but 
is not the decisive win of Williams or Johnston. He 
is the best volleyer in the British Isles. His over- 
head is realiable and accurate for so short a man, but 
at times is prone to lack speed. 

Kingscote is a sound tactician without the stra- 
tegic brilliance of Parke. He is a fine match player 
and dogged fighter. Witness his 5-set battle with- 
me in the Championships, after being match point 
down in the fourth set, and his 5-set struggle with 
Johnston in the Davis Cup. It is a slight lack of 
decisiveness all round that keeps Kingscote just a 
shade below the first flight. He is a very fine player, 
who may easily become a top-notch man. His pleas- 
ant, modest manner and generous sportsmanship 
make him an ideal opponent, and endear him to the 
gallery. 

H. ROPER BARRETT 

One of the real tennis tacticians, a man who is 
to-day a veteran of many a notable encounter, yet 
still dangerous at all times, is H. Roper Barrett. 



BRITISH ISLES 153 

A member of every Davis Cup team since the 
matches were inaugurated, a doubles player of the 
highest strategy, Roper Barrett needs no introduc- 
tion or analysis. His game is soft. His service 
looks a joke. In reality it is hard to hit, for Barrett 
pushes it to the most unexpected places. His ground 
strokes, soft, short, and low, are ideal doubles shots. 
He angles off the ball with a short shove in the direc- 
tion. He can drive hard when pressed, but prefers 
to use the slow poke. 

His volleying is the acme of finesse. He angles 
soft to the side-lines, stop volleys the hardest drives 
successfully. He picks openings with an unerring 
eye. His overhead lacks "punch," but is steady 
and reliable. 

Barrett is a clever mixer of shots. He is playing 
the unexpected shot to the unexpected place. His 
sense of anticipation is remarkable, and he retrieves 
the most unusual shots. It is his great tennis 
tactics that make him noteworthy. His game is 
round but not wonderful. 

THE LOWES, A. H. AND F. G. 

The famous brothers, called indiscriminately the 
Lowes, are two of the best base-line players in the 
British Isles. Both men play almost identical styles, 
and at a distance are very hard to tell apart. 

Gordon Lowe uses a slice service, while Arthur 
serves with a reverse spin. Neither man has a 
dangerous delivery. Both are adequate and hard to 
win earned points from. 



154 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

The ground strokes of the Lowes are very ortho- 
dox. Full swing, top spin drives fore- and back- 
hand, straight or 'cross court, are hit with equal 
facility. The Lowes volley defensively and only 
come in to the let when pulled in by a short shot. 
Their overhead work is average. 

Their games are not startling. There is nothing 
to require much comment. Both men are excellent 
tennis players of the true English school: fine base- 
line drivers, but subject to defeat by any aggressive 
volleyer. It is a lack of aggressiveness that holds 
both men down, for they are excellent court coverers, 
fine racquet wielders, but do not rise to real heights. 
The Lowes could easily defeat any player who was 
slightly off his game, as they are very steady and 
make few mistakes. Neither would defeat a first- 
class player at his best. 

T. M. MAVROGORDATO 

One of the most consistent winners in English ten- 
nis for a span of years is a little man with a big 
name, who is universally and popularly known as 
"Mavro." 

"Mavro" added another notable victory in 1920, 
when he defeated R. N. Williams in the last eight 
in the World Championships. "Mavro" has always 
been a fine player, but he has never quite scaled the 
top flight. 

His game is steadiness personified. He shoves his 
service in the court at the end of a prodigious swing 



BRITISH ISLES 155 

that ends in a poke. It goes where he wishes it. 
His ground strokes are fine, in splendid form, very 
accurate and remarkably fast for so little effort. 
Mavro is not large enough to hit hard, but owing 
to his remarkable footwork he covers a very large 
territory in a remarkably short space of time. His 
racquet work is a delight to a student of orthodox 
form. His volleying is accurate, steady, well placed 
but defensive. He has no speed or punch to his 
volley. His overhead is steady to the point of being 
unique. He is so small that it seems as if anyone 
could lob over his head, but his speed of foot is so 
great that he invariably gets his racquet on it and 
puts it back deep. 

Mavro turns defence into attack by putting the 
ball back in play so often that his opponent gets 
tired hitting it and takes unnecessary chances. His 
accuracy is so great that it makes up for his lack 
of speed. His judgment is sound but not brilliant. 
He is a hard-working, conscientious player who de- 
serves his success. 

There are many other players who are interesting 
studies. The two Australians, now living in Eng- 
land, and to all intents and purposes Englishmen, 
Randolph Lycett and F. M. B. Fisher, are distinct 
and interesting types of players. C. P. Dixon, 
Stanley Doust, M. J. G. Ritchie, Max Woosnam, 
the rising young star, P. M. Davson, A. E. Beamish, 
W. C. Crawley, and scores of other excellent play- 
ers, will carry the burden of English tennis success^ 



156 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

fully for some years. Yet new blood must be found 
to infuse energy into the game. Speed is a neces- 
sity in English tennis if the modern game is to reach 
its greatst height in the British Isles. 

Youth must be seen soon, if the game in the next 
ten years is to be kept at its present level. Parke, 
Mavro, Ritchie, Dixon, Barrett, etc., cannot go on 
for ever, and young players must be developed to 
take their places. The coming decade is the crucial 
period of English tennis. I hope and believe it 
will be successfully passed. 



CHAPTER XIV 

FRANCE AND JAPAN 

France 

ANDRE GOBERT 

ONE of the most picturesque figures and de- 
lightfully polished tennis games in the world 
are joined in that volatile, temperamental player, 
Andre Gohert of France. He is a typically French 
product, full of finesse, art, and nerve, surrounded 
by the romance of a wonderful war record of his 
people in which he bore a magnificent part, yet un- 
stable, erratic, and uncertain. At his best he is in- 
vincible. He is the great master of tennis. At his 
worst he is mediocre. Gobert is at once a delight 
and a disappointment to a student of tennis. 

Gobert's service is marvellous. It is one of the 
great deliveries of the world. His great height 
(he is 6 feet 4 inches) and tremendous reach en- 
able him to hit a flat delivery at frightful speed, 
and still stand an excellent chance of it going in 
court. He uses very little twist, so the pace is re- 
markably fast. Yet Gobert lacks confidence in his 
service. If his opponent handles it successfully 

157 



158 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

Gobert is apt to slow it up and hit it soft, thus 
throwing away one of the greatest assets. 

His ground strokes are hit in beautiful form. 
Gobert is the exponent of the most perfect form in 
the world to-day. His swing is the acme of beauty. 
The whole stroke is perfection. He hits with a flat, 
slightly topped drive, feet in excellent position, and 
weight well controlled. It is uniform, backhand and 
forehand. His volleying is astonishing. He can 
volley hard or soft, deep or short, straight or 
angled with equal ease, while his tremendous reach 
makes him nearly impossible to pass at the net. 
His overhead is deadly, fast, and accurate, and he 
kills a lob from anywhere in the court. 

Why is not Gobert the greatest tennis player in 
the world? Personally I believe it is lack of con- 
fidence, a lack of fighting ability when the breaks 
are against him, and defeat may be his due. It is a 
peculiar thing in Gobert, for no man is braver than 
he, as his heroism during the War proved. It is 
simply lack of tennis confidence. It is an over- 
abundance of temperament. In victory Gobert is 
invincible, in defeat he is apt to be almost mediocre. 

Gobert is delightful personally. His quick wit 
and sense of humour always please the tennis public. 
His courteous manner and genial sportsmanship 
make him universally popular. His stroke equip- 
ment is unsurpassed in the tennis world. 

I unqualifiedly state that I consider him the most 
perfect tennis player, as regards strokes and foot- 
work, in the world to-day; but he is not the greatest 



FRANCE AND JAPAN 159 

player. Victory is the criterion of a match player, 
and Gobert has not proved himself a great victor. 
Gobert is probably the finest indoor player in 
the world, while he is very great on hard courts; but 
his grass play is not the equal of many others. I 
heartily recommend Gobert's style to all students 
of the game, and endorse him as a model for 
strokes. 

W. LAURENTZ 

Another brilliant, erratic and intensely interesting 
figure that France has given the tennis world is 
Laurentz, the wonderful young player, who at the 
age of seventeen defeated A. F. Wilding. 

Laurentz is a cyclonic hitter of remarkable speed 
and brilliance, but prone to very severe lapses. His 
service is of several varieties, all well played. He 
uses an American twist as his regular delivery, but 
varies it with a sharp slice, a reverse twist of great 
spin, and a fast canncri-ball smash. Laurentz is 
very versatile. He has excellent orthodox drives, 
fore- and backhand, and a competent forehand chop. 

His volleying is brilliant almost beyond descrip- 
tion, but very erratic. He is very fast on his feet, 
and anticipates remarkably well. He will make the 
most hair-raising volleys, only to fall down inexplic- 
ably the next moment on an easy shot. His over- 
head is like his volley, severe, brilliant, but uncertain. 

Laurentz is a very hard worker, and, unlike 
Gobert, is always at his best when behind. He is a 
fair fighter and a great match player. His defeats 



160 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

are due more to over-anxiety than to lack of fight. 

He is temperamental, sensational, and brilliant, 
a sportsman of the highest type, quick to recognize 
his opponent's good work and to give full credit for 
it. He is one of the most interesting players now 
before the public. 

He is a clever court general but not a great tennis 
thinker, playing more by instinct than by a really 
deep-laid plan of campaign. Laurentz might beat 
anyone in the world on his day or lose to the veriest 
dub when at his worst. 

Max Decugis and Brugnon, the two remaining 
members of the 1920 Davis Cup team of France, 
present totally different types. Decugis, crafty, cool, 
and experienced, is the veteran of many long seasons 
of match play. He is a master tactician, and wins 
most of his matches by out-generalling the other 
player. Brugnon is brilliant, flashy, hard hitting, 
erratic, and inexperienced. He is very young, hardly 
twenty years of age. He has a fine fore-hitting 
style and excellent net attack, but lacks confidence 
and a certain knowledge of tennis fundamentals. 
A few years' experience will do wonders for him. 

The French style of play commends itself to me 
very highly. I enjoy watching the well-executed 
strokes, beautiful mobile footwork of these dashing 
players. It is more a lack of dogged determination 
to win, than in any stroke fault that one finds the 
reason for French defeats. The temperamental 
genius of this great people carries with it a lack of 





LOUIS RAYMOND 

South Africa 



B. I. C. NORTON 

South Africa 





^K2KSS-»SSbw>^- — - 



Z. F. SHIMBDZTJ 

Japan 



N. MISHTJ 
Roumania 



mm 

HP? 



PLATE XV 



«" tX M* ^, >iik 







MLLE. LEN6LEJT 
France 



MISS ELIZABETH RYAN 

America 





MRS. FRANKLIN L. MALLORY 

[molla bjurstedt] 
America 



MRS. LARCOMBE AND 
MRS. LAMBERT CHAMBERS 

British Isles 



PLATE XVI 



FRANCE AND JAPAN 161 

stability that can be the only explanation for the 
sudden crushing and unexpected defeats their re- 
presentatives receive on the tennis courts. 

Japan 

A new element has entered the tennis world in 
the last decade. The Orient has thrust its shadow 
over the courts in the persons of a small group 
of remarkable tennis players, particularly Ichija 
Kumagae and Zenzo Shimidzu, the famous Japanese 
stars. 

Kumagae, who for some years reigned supreme 
in Japan and Honolulu, has lived in America for 
the past three years. Shimidzu is a product of 
Calcutta, where he has lived for some years. 

No player has caused more discussion than 
Kumagae, unless it is Shimidzu ; while surely no man 
received more critical comment than Shimidzu, ex- 
cept Kumagae. The press of America and England 
have vied with each other in exploiting these two 
men. There was unanimity of opinion concerning 
these two men in one respect. No liner sportsman 
nor more delightful opponents can be found than 
these Japanese. They have won the respect and 
friendship of all who have met them. 

Kumagae is the greater tennis player. He came 
to America in 191 6, the possessor of a wonderful 
forehand drive and nothing else. Kumagae is left- 
handed, which made his peculiar shots all the harder 
to handle. He met with fair success during the year; 
his crowning triumph was his defeat of W. M. John- 



162 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

ston at Newport in five sets. He lost to J. J. Arm- 
strong, Watson M. Washburn, and George M. 
Church. He learned much during his year in Amer- 
ica, and returned to Japan a wiser man, with a firm 
determination to add to his tennis equipment. 

In 19 17 Kumagae returned to America to enter 
business in New York. Once established there he 
began developing his game. First he learned an 
American twist service and then strenghtened his 
backhand. That year he suffered defeat at the 
hands of Walter T. Hayes and myself. He was 
steadily improving. He now started coming to the 
net and learning to volley. He is not yet a good 
low volleyer, and never will be while he uses the 
peculiar grip common to his people; but his high 
volleying and overhead are now excellent. Last 
year Kumagae reached his top form and was ranked 
third in America. His defeats were by Johnston, 
Vincent Richards, and myself; while he defeated 
Murray, S. H. Voshell, Vincent Richards, and me, 
as well as countless players of less note. 

The season of 1920 found Kumagae sweeping all 
before him, since JoTinston, Williams, Garland, and 
I were away on the Davis Cup trip. Williams barely 
defeated him in a better match, just previously to 
sailing. Kumagae left America in the middle of 
the summer to compete in the Olympic games, rep- 
resenting Japan. 

Kumagae is still essentially a base-line player of 
marvellous accuracy of shot and speed of foot. His 
drive is a lethal weapon that spreads destruction 



FRANCE AND JAPAN 163 

among his opponents. His backhand is a severe 
"poke," none too accurate, but very deadly when it 
goes in. His service overhead and high volley are 
all severe and reliable. His low volley is the weak 
spot in an otherwise great game. Kumagae cannot 
handle a chop, and dislikes grass-court play, as the 
ball bounds too low for his peculiar "loop" drive. 
He is one of the greatest hard-court players in the 
world, and one of the most dangerous opponents 
at any time on any surface. 

Shimidzu is not so dangerous yet as Kumagae. 
He, too, is a base-line player, but lacks Kumagae's 
terrific forehand drive. Shimidzu has a superior 
backhand to Kumagae, but his weak service rather 
offsets this. His low volleying is far superior to 
Kumagae, while his high volleying and overhead 
are quite the equal. He^has not the fighting qualities 
in his game that make Kumagae so dangerous, but 
he has not had the experience. Shimidzu learns 
very quickly, and I look to see him a great factor 
in the game in future years. 

Both Shimidzu and Kumagae are marvellous court 
coverers, and seem absolutely untiring. They are 
"getters" of almost unbelievable activity, and ac- 
curate to a point that seems uncanny. Both men hit 
to the lines with a certainty that makes it very 
dangerous to attempt to take the net on anything 
except a deep forcing shot that hurries them. 

With such players as Kumagae and Shimidzu, fol- 
lowed By S. Kashio and K. Yamasaki, and the late 
H. Mikami, Japan is a big factor in future tennis. 



164 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

192 1 may see Japan challenging for the Davis Cup, 
and none but a first-class team can stop them. The 
advent of a Japanese team with such players will 
mean that next year we must call out our best to 
repel the Oriental invasion: so competition receives 
another stimulus that should raise our standard of 
play. 

The possibility of journeying to Japan to chal- 
lenge for the Davis Cup is not so remote but that 
we must consider it as a future possibility. 



CHAPTER XV 
THE COLONIES 

Australasia 

THE death of that sterling sportsman, Anthony 
F. Wilding, and the natural decline in the 
playing powers of Norman E. Brookes, owing to 
the advance of years and his war experiences, leave 
Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) in a 
somewhat uncertain condition regarding its tennis 
prospects. 

NORMAN E. BROOKES 

Volumes have been written about N. E. Brookes 
and his tennis genius, but I would not feel right if 
I could not pay at least a slight tribute to the great- 
est tennis player and genius of all time. 

There is no need to dwell on Brookes' shots, his 
marvellous mechanical perfection, his peculiar vol- 
leying style, his uncanny anticipation. All these are 
too well known to need my feeble description. They 
are but the expression of that wonderful brain and 
dominant personality that lie behind that sphinx- 
like face we know as Brookes'. 

To see across the net those ever-restless, ever- 
165 



166 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

moving eyes, picking the openings in my never too- 
well guarded court, and know that against me is 
pitted the greatest tennis brain of the century, is 
to call upon me to produce my best. That is what 
my match with Brookes meant to me, and still does 
to-day. Brookes should be an inspiration to every 
tennis player, for he has proved the power of mind 
over matter in tennis: "Age cannot wither nor 
custom stale his infinite variety." 

Brookes is the most eminently just man on a 
tennis court I have ever met, for no excitement 
or emotion clouds his eyesight or judgment in de- 
cisions. He cannot abide bad decisions, yet he hates 
them quite as much when they favour him as when 
they are against him. I admit frankly I am a great 
admirer of Brookes, personally and from every 
tennis sense. He is a master that I as a student 
of the game feel proud to study under. 

GERALD PATTERSON 

Australia's leading player, Gerald Patterson, is 
one of the most remarkable combinations of tennis 
virtues and tennis faults I have ever seen. 

Patterson has a wonderful service. He has speed, 
direction, control, and all kinds of twist. He hits 
his service consistently hard and puts it in. His 
overhead is the most remarkable in the game. He 
can kill from any place in the court. His shot is 
clean, with little effort, yet carries terrific speed. 
His volleying above the net is almost faultless on 
his forehand. He has an excellent forehand drive 



THE COLONIES 167 

that is very severe and consistent, but his back- 
hand . . . Where in all the rest of tennis history 
was there a first-class man with a backhand so 
fundamentally wrong? His grip is bad, he pulls up 
on the ball and "loops" it high in the air. I do not 
mean Patterson always misses his backhand. He 
does not. He even makes remarkable shots off it 
at times, but, if Patterson is pressed, his backhand 
is the first portion of his game to crack, because it 
is hit inherently wrong. 

Patterson relies mainly on speed to win matches. 
He is not a strategist, and finesse is not part of his 
tennis equipment. He has a magnifient physique, 
and relies largely on his strength to carry him 
through a long match and win in the end. 

He is very quiet, and inclined to be somewhat 
careless on the court, unless pressed, when his busi- 
nesslike, determined play shows what a great match 
player Patterson can become. He produces his 
best game at the crucial moment of the match. Pat- 
terson is a superior match player to his real tennis 
ability. His is not truly a top-notch game. It has 
superlative features, but its whole texture is not of 
the finest. 

Patterson owes much of his success in 19 19 to 
Brookes, under whose guidance he played. The 
absence of the master mind directing his attack 
proved a decided handicap in 1920, and Patterson's 
attack was not so certain nor sustained as in the 
previous season. Patterson's game plus Brookes' 
strategy would be a great combination in one man. 



168 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

R. V. Thomas and Pat. O'Hara Wood, two of 
the greatest doubles players in the world, are among 
the remaining Australians who may be counted upon 
as Davis Cup calibre, and therefore of world-wide 
importance. These two men in partnership won the 
world's title in 19 19 at Wimbledon. They created 
a record by winning the Australian doubles title 
two years in succession. They are a team of sound 
games, excellent strategy, and determined fighting 
qualities. Young Anderson, who played in the 
Davis Cup singles in 19 19, is another sensational 
player of the Patterson school. His future develop- 
ment is a matter of conjecture. 

The mantle of Wilding and Brookes must fall on 
the shoulders of a really great player. Who it will 
be is hard to say at present. No outstanding figure 
looms on the horizon at the time of writing. 

South Africa 

The 1920 South African Davis Cup team players, 
following their disastrous defeat by Holland, jour- 
neyed to England for the Championship and follow- 
ing tournaments, and I had the opportunity of 
studying three players of great promise. The re- 
maining two were excellent, but hardly as exceptional 
as the former. 

Charles Winslow, the leading player in the team, 
had a remarkable versatile game. He uses a high, 
bounding service of good speed, which at times he 
follows to the net. His best ground stroke is a 
severe chop, not unlike Wallace F. Johnson. He has 



THE COLONIES 169 

a good drive both forehand and backhand, which 
he only uses when pressed or in attempting to pass a 
net man. He volleys very well, and covers the net 
quickly. His overhead is very severe, steady, and 
reliable. He is a fine natural player just below the 
top flight. He is an excellent strategist, and mixes 
his shots very well. He has exceptionally fast foot- 
work, and repeatedly runs around his backhand 
to chop diagonally across the court in a manner very 
similar to Johnson. 

B. I. C. Norton, the South African Champion, a 
youngster of twenty, is a phenomenal player of ex- 
treme brilliancy. He has everything in stroke equip- 
ment, drives, slices, volleys, and a fine service and 
overhead. Unfortunately Norton regards his tennis 
largely as a joke. His judgment is therefore faulty, 
and he is apt to loaf on the court. He tries the 
most impossible shots that sometimes go in; and 
in the main, his court generalship is none too good. 

He is an irrepressible boy, and his merry smile 
and chatter make him a tremendous favourite with 
the gallery. He has a very strong personality that 
would carry him a long way. 

Louis Raymond, the left-handed star of the South 
Africans, has an excellent ground game coupled with 
a good service and fair volleying and overhead. His 
game is not remarkable. He is a hard-working, 
deserving player who attains success by industry 
rather than natural talent. His judgment is sound 
and methods of play orthodox, except for a tendency 
to run around his backhand. 



170 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

C. R. Blackboard, the youngest member of the 
team, and G. H. Dodd, its captain, were both very 
excellent players of the second flight. Blackbeard 
is very young, not yet twenty, and may develop 
into a star. At present he chops too much, and is 
very erratic. 

• •••••• 

There are many other players whom I would 
analyse if I had the time or space ; but in&these days 
of paper shortage and ink scarcity, conservation is 
the keynote of the times. 

Let me turn for a few moments to the women 
whose fame in the tennis world is the equal of the 
men I have been analysing. 



CHAPTER XVI 

FAMOUS WOMEN PLAYERS 

MLLE. SUZANNE LENGLEN 

THERE is no more unique personality, nor more 
remarkable player among the women than 
Mile. Suzanne Lenglen, the famous French girl 
who holds the World's Championship title. Mile. 
Lenglen is a remarkable figure in the sporting world. 
She has personality, individuality, and magnetism 
that hold the public interest. She is the biggest 
drawing card in the tennis world. 

Mile. Lenglen' s fame rests on her drive. Strange 
though it may seem, her drive is the least interesting 
part of her game. Mile. Lenglen uses a severe over- 
head service of good speed. It is a remarkable 
service for a woman, one which many men might 
do well to copy. Her famous forehand drive is a 
full arm swing from the shoulder. It meets the 
ball just as Mile. Lenglen springs in the air. The 
result is pictorially unique, but not good tennis. She 
loses speed and power by this freak. Her backhand 
is beautifully played, from perfect footwork, with 
a free swing and topped drive. It is a remarkable 

171 



172 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

stroke. Her volleying is perfect in execution and re- 
sult. She hits her overhead smash freely with a 
"punch" that is as great as many men. It is as 
fine an overhead as that of Mrs. George Wightman, 
the American Champion. 

Mile. Lenglen's speed of foot is marvellous. She 
runs fast and easily. She delights in acrobatic 
jumps, many of them unnecessary, at all times during 
her play. She is a wonderful gallery player, and 
wins the popularity that her dashing style deserves. 
She is a brilliant court general, conducting her at- 
tack with a keen eye on both the court and the 
gallery. 

Mile. Lenglen is not outstanding among the 
women players of the world, in my opinion. She is 
probably the best to-day, yet Mrs. Lambert Cham- 
bers, Mrs. George Wightman, Miss Elizabeth Ryan, 
Mrs. Franklin L. Mallory (formerly Miss Molla 
Bjurstedt), Miss Mary Browne, and Mrs. May 
Sutton Bundy are all in her class. There is no 
woman playing tennis to-day that has the powerful 
personality of Mile. Lenglen. Her acrobatic style 
and grace on the court form an appeal no gallery 
can resist. Her very mannerisms fool people into 
considering her far greater than she really is, even 
though she is a wonderful player. 

In rharked contrast to the eccentricities of Mile. 
Lenglen one finds the delightfully polished style of 
Mrs. Lambert Chambers. Mrs. Chambers has a 
purely orthodox game of careful execution that any 



FAMOUS WOMEN PLAYERS 173 

student of the game should recognize as the highest 
form of tennis strokes. 

Mrs. Chambers serves an overhead delivery of no 
particular movement She slices or "spoons' * her 
ground strokes, forehand or backhand. She seldom 
volleys or smashes. Her only excursions to the net 
are when she is drawn to the net. 

It is not Mrs. Chambers' game itself so much as 
what she does with it, that I commend so highly. 
Her change of pace and distance is wonderfully 
controlled. Her accuracy marvellous. Her judg- 
ment is remarkable, and the way in which she saves 
undue exertion is an art in itself. She gets a wonder- 
ful return for her outlay of effort. 

Hers is a personality of negation. Her manner 
on the court is negative, her shots alone are positive. 
She is never flustered, and rarely shows emotion. 

Mrs. Chambers is the u Mavro" of women as 
regards her recovering ability. Her errors are re- 
duced to a minimum at all times. To err is human ; 
but at times there is something very nearly inhuman 
about Mrs. Chambers' tennis. 

Among the other women in England who are de- 
lightfully original in their games are Mrs. Lar- 
combe, the wonderful chop-stroke player, whose 
clever generalship and tactics place her in the front 
rank; Mrs. M'Nair, with her volleying attack; Miss 
Elizabeth Ryan, an American living in England, 
who combines a vicious chop with a brilliant volley 
and overhead, and many others only slightly less 
notable. 



174 THE ART OF LAWN TENNIS 

America boasts of a large group of rising young 
women players who are but a step behind the first 
flight of Mrs. George Wightman, our National 
Champion, Mrs. Franklin L. Mallory, and Miss 
Mary Browne. 

Mrs. Wightman has a remarkable game, not un- 
like Miss Ryan's. She chops viciously fore- or back- 
hand, and at times drives as well. She uses an over- 
head service and smash. Her volleying is the finest 
of any woman I have ever seen. Her overhead is 
hit with a peculiar wrist-snap, unique in the game. 
Mrs. Wightman is the finest mixed doubles player 
I have ever watched. Her knowledge of the game 
is phenomenal, and only a lack of stamina stands 
between her and any title. She is a remarkable 
tennis genius. Her psychology is worthy of Brookes. 

Mrs. Mallory at her best is second to no woman 
in the world, in my opinion. I say this in full knowl- 
edge of her record in England during 1920. I am 
not offering alibis for Mrs. Mallory, but I state 
that at no time on her trip was she within "15" of 
her average game. 

Mrs. Mallory is a base-line player with the finest 
drive, fore- and backhand, I have ever seen. She 
has no overhead, while her volleying is of the 
"stroke" variety and therefore wrong. Yet ordi- 
narily she can place a ball at will from the base-line 
or off service so accurately that she does not need 
her net attack. I look to see a terrific match in 1 92 1 , 
when Mrs. Mallory returns to strive to challenge 
Mile. Lenglen for her title. It is sheer speed of 



FAMOUS WOMEN PLAYERS 175 

stroke and foot with which Mrs. Mallory wins, and 
next year may see her gain the heights of world's 
champion. 

America has a large group of such brilliant young 
stars as Miss Marion Zinderstern of Boston, a pro- 
tegee of Mrs. Wightman, a girl with a well-rounded 
game of great promise; Miss Elinor Goss of New 
York, a player of latent possibilities second to none ; 
Miss Eleanor Sears, Miss Helene Pollak, Miss 
Molly Thayes, Miss Ann Townsend, and many 
more. 

Women's tennis in England is on a slightly higher 
plane at this time than in America ; but the standard 
of play in America is rapidly coming up. Interna- 
tional competition between women on the lines of 
the Davis Cup, for which a trophy has previously 
been offered by Lady Wavertree in England, and in 
1 9 19 by Mrs. Wightman in America, and twice re- 
fused by the International Federation, would do 
more than any other factor to place women's tennis 
on the high plane desired. This plan has succeeded 
for the men, why should it not do as well for the 
women? 



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